


A Long Journey

by Joan_of_Arc



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Jon and Cat bonding ...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 23:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19734013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joan_of_Arc/pseuds/Joan_of_Arc
Summary: Jon does not go to the Wall and instead accompanies Catelyn to King’s Landing. As they have to go into hiding together, events escalate and troubles stir in the continent leading different parties to lie, plot and obfuscate. Is Westeros doomed to go to war or can conflict be avoided?OR: Catelyn and Jon take an interesting road trip together.





	1. Winterfell: The king’s visit.

**_ 1) Winterfell: The king’s visit.  _ **

“He looks as if he were just sleeping” Lord Eddard Stark commented running his hand through the matted hair of his son as he lay unconscious on his bed. The fall had been brutal, but it hadn’t killed him. And for as long as he drew breath, his family held on to the hope that he would survive.

“But then, why won’t he wake up?” retorted a weary Catelyn Stark, her tired eyes never leaving her son.

Lord Stark grabbed his wife’s hands in his and kissed her knuckles softly. “Bran is a strong lad, Cat” he tried to reassure his wife. “He’ll pull through.”

“And yet, you won’t be here to see it” she replied her eyes still glued on the boy on the bed.

“I swore an oath, Cat. I have to go”

“You also swore an oath to me” she breathed out. “But this won’t be the first time you forgo your vows to me” she added belatedly in a barely audible voice.

“Cat, please. Don’t” he said still holding her hands. “Your hands are cold” he noted.

“I am cold”

“It’s not cold, my love. The room feels warm. Maybe you should retire to your chambers for a while. You haven’t left this room in days” he finished placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I can’t leave. What if he wakes up? What if he doesn’t? He needs me” and for the first time her eyes left her son’s body. She looked up at her husband with pleading eyes. “He needs you too. I need you. Please don’t leave.”

“You know I have to. I don’t have a choice”

“That’s what men always say when honour calls. That what you tell yourselves. You do have a choice. And you’ve made it. Now you’re leaving. I have five children. One of them lies lingering between this world and the next and there’s nothing I can do to help him. You’re taking my two girls away from me. Robb is being forced to be Lord when it really shouldn’t be necessary if you stayed. What about Rickon? He will grow without his father to guide him. I can’t do this Ned. I really can’t.”

“You can, Cat. You must.”

“What about him?” she suddenly asked, her blue eyes growing dark.

“Bran?” Ned asked confused.

“No, not Bran. Him. Your other son”

“Jon.” Ned felt the insurmountable crevasse that stood between him and his wife appear again: the same old rift that would sometimes heal only to surface again every time his name was involved. Jon had a very special place in his heart, but it was also a reminder of a darker time and something that Catelyn had never come to terms with. And he really couldn’t blame her. He had placed this burden upon her and she had taken it in her stride as best as she could. If not loving, at least she had been civil to Jon. The boy was never pushed away from the family and that was really all he could ask of her. “I could take him with me. But the royal family won’t take it kindly if I took a bastard. They might take it as an insult.”

“No, you wouldn’t want to insult anyone with a bastard. That wouldn’t be proper, would it?” she countered not even bothering to hide her resentment .

Ned bit his lip and closed his eyes. “He has mentioned something about joining the Watch. He could have a future there, but it’s an oath for life, Cat.”

“He could have had a future anywhere if you had done things properly. Any of your bannermen would have taken him if you had asked” she retorted and her eyes went back to her young son lying on the bed.

“He could always stay here, together with Theon. Robb will need their help. And they could always help out with Rickon”

“Ned, stop it! He is your son, not mine. He is your responsibility, not mine. I have enough as it is with my own children. Do whatever you want with him, he is yours to care for.”

The crevasse suddenly became an ocean. Ned wanted to hold his wife and tell her everything would be alright. But would it? All the conversations he and his wife had sheared since the arrival of the Royal Family to Winterfell and King Robert’s proposal came to his mind.

Being the King’s Hand was not just a great honour, it was his duty. And it would give him a chance to find out what had really happened to the previous Hand, Jon Arryn. Death by natural causes sounded too suspicious to be true, especially after receiving Jon’s wife Lysa’s letter about the Lannisters, the Queen’s family, being behind it. Catelyn’s sister Lysa had specifically said her husband had been murdered.

His becoming Hand of the King had an added bonus: his daughter Sansa would be betrothed to the Prince. He wasn’t sure if this was a bonus or an added tax. But Sansa was very excited and had expressed her desire to marry Prince Joffrey.

Unfortunately these “honours” came at a price. He had to leave his family and his house behind, something he was loath to do, and he was taking his two young daughters with him. Plus, his older son Robb would be forced to become Lord of Winterfell and grow into an adult before his time. As Catelyn had said before, their youngest son Rickon would grow up without a father figure. He knew Robb could fill that place, but it wasn’t fair to Robb. It was bad enough he would have the responsibilities of a Lord, he couldn’t ask him to become a father as well. Bran’s accident had only made things worse. He felt terrible having to leave without knowing whether his son would wake up again. Bran’s condition had taken a toll on his wife and she was devastated. She was but a shadow of her usual self. As much as she had initially agreed that he had to accept the King’s offer, and had actually insisted on it, now things had changed. And so had her mind. She was begging him not to leave and take her children with him.

And what about Jon? He would have to stay in Winterfell. He would indeed be of great help to Robb and Rickon. His mind was made and his decision had been taken. Jon would stay home, at least until Robb had found his feet as Lord and Bran had woken and so things could go back to normal.

He stood up, petted the wolf that slept loyally on Bran’s bed , kissed his wife on the forehead again and left the room. He had things to do. He had to leave all his official affairs in order, he had to pack, and he had to prepare a trip for his two daughters and their wolves. The wolves had been an interesting addition to the family. They had found them in the forest when he had had to execute the deserter from the Watch. The children had been over excited with their new pets, and they had one for each – all six of his children. They fed them, took care of them, and cleaned up after them. _This will teach them about responsibility and love,_ his wife had said - Family and Duty echoing her family’s words. And it seemed to be paying off. Sansa had been training hers to behave during the trip and according to Arya, her wolf was helping her pack. Bran’s wolf, for his part, had remained stoically by his sick owner’s side and refused to leave the room.

.

.

.

The day finally came for the King and his entourage to leave. The King mounted his horse and proudly announced his family would be returning to the capital with gained allies, a new Hand and a beautiful bride for his son. Everybody in they yard clapped and cheered. The Queen waved to the people seeing them off and stepped on the wheelhouse together with her children. Arya and Sansa hugged and kissed everyone they were leaving behind and got on the wheelhouse with sadness about what they would miss, but anxiety about what they would experience. Ned turned to his ward Theon Greyjoy and gave him some encouraging parting words. He hugged his two older sons – his heir Robb and his other son Jon – and gave them some final instructions and fatherly advice. He then tousled Rickon’s unruly red curls and promised him they would see each other soon. 

Catelyn would have been able to witness all these goodbyes if she had just looked out of the window. But she was still perched over her ailing son praying and crying and then praying some more. She berated the gods claiming it was not fair other children should be able to run and play while her beloved Bran might never open his eyes again. So focused was she on Bran that she never saw her husband and her daughters leave. She never saw the King and his family leave. And she never saw how much the children that had remained home actually needed her.

As the days passed by, Robb tried his best to fill in the gap left by his father’s departure. He became the Lord he had been trained to be. He relied on his bother Jon for support and Maester Luwin for advice. He would see his mother every day but she was still holed up in Bran’s room. Bran still hadn’t woken up and some people had already began to lose hope he ever would. But not his mother. She stubbornly remained by Bran’s side. Robb could never fathom what his mother might be going through. He had always heard that losing a child was the worst thing that could happen to a person. His mother was one of the strongest and smartest women he had ever seen, but that person was long gone now. Unfortunately, this utter devastation that was taking hold of his mother meant that he was losing her as well. He could not rely on her as much as he would like to. 

“Mother, I need to make some new appointments” he tried to ask his mother for counsel one night. “Maester Luwin thinks we should name Mycah as head forger. Jon agrees since he trained with our old forger for so long. What do you think?”

“What happened to Phillard?” she asked.

“Mother, Phillard left with father and Breckon was injured in the accident last week” he replied worried his mother had forgotten those details.

“Ah, true. Mycah is good then.”

“Mother, when was the last time you left this room? Rickon needs you. I need you. And you need to take care of yourself. This is not helping. You can’t help Bran if you die.”

“I can’t help Bran if I live either”

“Don’t say that.”

The air felt stuffy and warm. Neither Catelyn nor Bran’s wolf had stepped out of Bran’s room in days and it was beginning to smell. Robb got up and made for the window. As he drew the curtains and opened the window something caught his attention.

“Fire!” he yelled. “There’s a fire in the library! You stay here!” he instructed his mother and rushed out into the hallway.

He wasted no time getting to the library as fast as he could yelling orders as he ran by and getting his people to move quickly. Jon had already began to get pails of water. Using the big curtains and the tapestry to put out the flames they were able to control the fire. Now they had the arduous task of cleaning the mess and finding out what had caused the fire. Their chore was interrupted by a desperate cry coming from the other end of the hallway.

“I’ll go” Jon offered and sprinted down in the direction of where the cry had come from.

He checked the rooms as he passed by and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary – until he reached Bran’s room. The door, which was normally closed, was ajar and he could hear faint moans and sounds of struggle. He burst into the room and was shocked to find a man attacking his father’s wife. Catelyn was fighting back and had managed to bite off some of the man’s fingers but now the man was grabbing her from behind and had a knife at her throat. She was trying to grab the knife with her bare hands. Both had blood on their clothes and bodies. When the man saw Jon standing in the doorway he quickly let go of Catelyn, the momentum causing her to stumble forwards. As she turned to Jon the man took the opportunity to slash her chest and stab her in the gut. Jon saw her fall and promptly ran to face her attacker. But a grey shadow beat him to it. The loyal wolf, whom Bran had not had time to name before his accident, pounced forwards and lunged at the attacker. The struggle lasted no more than a few seconds, the wolf quickly gaining the upper hand and tearing out the man’s throat. He gurgled and gasped for a short time until his eyes closed and blood began to pool under his head.

The man no longer a threat and the wolf having returned to his place on Bran’s bed, Jon turned his attention to Catelyn. She was bleeding and barely conscious, but she was alive. He gently opened her robe to check her wounds were not lethal. Her gown was stained red in the front where she had been stabbed and her chest had been slashed. Her hands were also a bloody mess and some of her fingers had almost been severed when she had tried to stop the knife at her throat.

Softly and trying not to injure her further, he picked her up and placed her on the bed next to Bran. She started to moan and suddenly opened her eyes.

“Bran!” she cried as her eyes focused on Jon. “He wants to kill him. Help Bran. Please!”

“Bran is fine” Jon reassured her. “You saved him. The wolf saved him. He is fine.”

“You…” she trailed as unconsciousness was getting hold of her again.

“Stay with me. Open your eyes. I’ll go get help, but stay awake” he said and stepped out into to the hallway yelling for help.

“You …” she trailed again. “ … saved us.” 


	2. Winterfell: Planning the trip.

Robb was sitting in his father’s solar - _my solar now_ he reflected not without some apprehension – going over expenses reports with is brother Jon.

“Your mother seems to be doing better” Jon commented

“Yes. But she won’t be when she sees how much the royal visit has cost us” he snorted.

“Who could have guessed such a small man could drink so much!”

“Tyrion Lannister drinks as much as the King eats!”

“Well, the King eats and drinks in equal measure.”

“And the way he resorts to whores when he’s married to Cersei Lannister. Unbelievable!”

“Well, many men resort to whores” Jon replied.

“Not Father. He would never do that to Mother.” They both looked at each other realizing there were certain things about their father they would rather not discuss. “Well, I know that if I were married to a beautiful woman such as Cersei I wouldn’t stray from my marriage.”

“Some men are married to pretty women and still stray.”

“What did you think of Princess Myrcella? She looked pretty. She has her mother’s looks.”

“And thank the Gods for that!” Jon chuckled. “Would you marry her?”

“Maybe. Would you?”

“I’m a bastard Robb. Why would the princess want to marry a bastard?”

“Hypothetically. Would you?”

“I wouldn’t be able to offer her anything. I don’t hold any titles”

“Gods you can be insufferable! Never mind. What did you make of the Prince?”

“Tommen? He seemed nice.”

“No, I meant Joffrey. He’s going to marry Sansa.”

“He seemed alright, I suppose. Your sister was certainly taken by his charms. Plus, she will get to be Queen one day, which is what she has always wanted.”

“Our sister, Jon” Robb emphasized. “She’s as much my sister as she is yours.”

“Well, I hope our sister is happy, then” Jon smiled. “Any news from Father?”

“Nothing yet. They are travelling on the Kingsroad. Such a large party, with people on horses and soldiers on foot, plus the wheelhouse, and the king probably wanting to stop to hunt and whore, would probably need over a month to reach the capital. By my calculations they should be somewhere in the Riverlands by now.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Maester Luwin, who came to fetch them. “Your Mother is summoning you in the Godswood. Theon is with her already”

Confused as to what Catelyn might want, they both rushed to the Godswood on the northern side of the castle. When they arrived, not only Theon had arrived, but also the old castellan Rodrick Cassel. Catelyn was looking much stronger and with a new resolve. After the attack on Bran, she had been taken to her own chambers and tended to by Maester Luwin. Her wounds had been deep but not life threatening. This forced respite gave her the chance to regain the strength she had lost during all those weeks spent by Bran’s bedside. Her son was yet to regain consciousness, but at least she wasn’t spending all her waking hours cooped up in his room.

“I don’t think Bran fell from the tower, I think he was pushed” Catelyn started addressing them.

“What do you mean Mother?” Robb asked.

“He was always very sure footed” Maester Luwin interjected. “He never falls.”

“Somebody tried to kill him twice” she continued. She raised her bandaged hands as evidence to emphasize the fact that someone had attacked him. “Why would anyone try to kill an innocent boy? Unless he saw something.”

“Something like what, my Lady?”

“I don’t know yet, but I would stake my life it has to do with the Lannisters. We already have reasons to suspect their loyalty to the crown.”

“Maybe Bran saw them conspiring against the King. If, as Father told us, they had something to do with Jon Arryn’s death, maybe they want to kill the King and Bran saw them!” Robb surmised.

“Did you happen to see the blade the killer used?” Cassel asked. “It’s too fine a weapon for such a man: valyrian steel blade and dragon bone handle. Someone must have given him the knife.”

“Someone with money!” added Theon.

“They come into our home and try to murder my brother and mother!” Robb spat.

“They will pay for this” Jon seconded.

“If it’s war they want ..” Robb started to unsheathe his sword.

“You have my sword, Robb” promised Theon

“And mine” Jon followed.

“Is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?” Maester Luwin admonished them. “Put your swords away. Too easily words of war become acts of war”

“We don’t really know what has happened Robb, only suspicions” said Catelyn.

“Lord Stark must be told of this”

“We must send him a raven immediately”

“No, we never know who will open the letter.”

“Then I will ride myself” offered Robb.

“We’ll go with you” both Then and Jon immediately jumped in.

“No” Catelyn stopped their enthusiastic antics. “Robb, there must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I’ll go myself.”

“I’ll have a host of guards accompany you, my Lady” offered Cassel.

“No, a large party would attract unwanted attention. We don’t want the Lannisters to get wind of anything.”

“I’ll go with you, my Lady” offered Theon.

“As much as I appreciate it, Theon, you cannot leave Winterfell. I am very sorry, but you were brought here for a reason, and my husband would not want you to leave if there is no need. It may prompt your family to take actions we don’t want and which would only lead to more bloodshed. Robb needs you here.”

“The Jon will go with you” Robb decided. Catelyn and Jon looked at each other and then at Robb. They were both lost for words, so Robb took his chance to reinforce his position. “Mother, you are the only one of us that knows King’s Landing. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone and you can’t take a large group. We don’t want many people to know about this so it’s got to be one of us. If I go it will look suspicious. I need Maester Luwin with me. With Jory gone, Ser Rodrick has had more duties and he can’t leave. Theon can’t go because of what his family might do. It’s got to be the two of you. It is my decision and it’s final.”

.

.

.

Catelyn was packing some clothes into a small satchel when Robb visited her in her room. She purposefully ignored him as he walked in, moved a stool and sat on the bed.

“You’re wrinkling my clothes” she said.

“And they won’t get wrinkled in the satchel?” he retorted.

“Robb, why him?” she asked addressing the glaring elephant in the room.

“I told you. He’s the only who can go. I would send an army to protect you. But you know that wouldn’t be wise. I would send Theon, but you don’t trust him. As you said, his family may try to rise up if Theon is no longer a hostage and we can’t allow the Greyjoys to rebel.”

“It is not Theon I do not trust, it is his family. I am more worried about what you would have to do to Theon if his family does anything. You’re Lord of Winterfell. Are you ready to execute your friend?”

“I hope it never comes to that” he admitted.

“You’re Lord of Winterfell now” she said coming to sit next to her son. “There are many decisions you will have to make, some of which may break your heart. Theon promised you loyalty and you took it. But you may be forced to break that trust, whether you want to or not. Sometimes duty and honour compel you to do things you don’t want. The problem with honour is that while you fulfil your vows to someone, you may break vows to others.”

“You’re not just talking about Theon”

“Your father broke your vows to me” she sighed. “I could accept it if I didn’t have to see him everyday. I know you trust Jon, but as your father’s son he is the one who may want to claim what belongs to you. Sometimes people do things you would never expect and hurt you when you least expect it. The ones you love are the ones who might hurt you the most. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Like you were”

“I was hurt, I won’t deny that. I felt terribly betrayed and humiliated. But that was a very long time ago. My trust on you father was broken – beyond repair I might add, for a while. But we fixed it. And that’s where all your other siblings come in” she smiled. “The issue is not your father’s son. Men have bastards all the time. The problem is that it is not the men that have the bastards who are shamed, it’s the women. It’s not the men who have bastards people frown upon, but the wives who were scorned. I could have taken the shame if it had been a one time thing, but having him here all the time has been difficult for me. Besides, it’s not really my honour that worries me the most. It’s my family’s safety. It’s dangerous to raise bastards as Lords as you father has done. That may give them ideas. Our history is full of examples.”

“Jon would never do that, and you know that”

“For you sake and everybody’s sake, I truly hope so. But if he does, you will be forced to act against him. Are you ready to face your responsibilities if Jon does something unbecoming? Being so close to him, do you think you’ll be ready to act if he ever does?”

“I suppose I’ll cross that bridge if it ever comes to that. So far he hasn’t done anything unbecoming. But you still don’t like him” he prompted.

“It’s not an issue of liking him. He’s not my son, Robb, you are. And Sansa and Arya. And Bran and Rickon. His presence in the house may put you all in danger.”

“You don’t need to like him, just allow him to be.”

“And when have I not? Regardless of my feelings and suspicions, regardless how dangerous his presence here is to you, regardless how badly I was hurt and how humiliated I was, when have I ever done anything against the boy?”

“He’s got a name” he replied sharply.

“When have I ever done anything against Jon?”

“No, never” he agreed. “And that actually does say a lot about you. But you still don’t want him to go, do you?”

“I’d rather not.”

“You need to get over your petty resentment and do this for me. Not just for me, but for Bran. For Rickon. For Father and the girls.”

“Petty? I fear for your future wife and children if you think their safety is petty.”

“Well, it’s my decision. This is what is best for everyone, even if you or him happen to feel uncomfortable.”

“As you wish” she accepted.

.

.

.

Having spoken to his mother, it was time to talk to Jon.

“Are you done packing?” Robb asked his brother. “Do you have enough room for all your hair and grooming accessories? I assume you won’t pass the opportunity to woo all these pretty southron girls” he joked.

“Beautiful hair won’t hide the fact that I’m a bastard.”

“Ah, here we go again” Robb shook his head in frustration.

“Besides, I’ll be too busy hiding from you mother’s glares.”

“She won’t glare at you.”

“She hates me Robb! Why are you sending me with her?”

“She doesn’t hate you, Jon. She resents the situation.”

“Well, but it’s not my fault.”

“No it isn’t. And neither is it hers. Like I told her, I’m sorry if you both feel uncomfortable, but I need you both to get over your petty resentment and work together.”

“Petty? Easy for you to say, it is not you she glares at.”

“No, it’s not. And you know why that is? Because I’m her son and you’re not. Is it your fault? Of course not. But it’s not her fault either. And what? So she glares at you. Is it really that bad? Just ignore it. Given the situation, you should be glad all she does is glare at you. It’s not easy on you, I know, but it’s not easy on her either. She’s never done anything to you and never will. Look, I don’t need for you to like her, just allow her to be” Robb pleaded echoing the conversation he had just had with his mother.

“And when have I not?”

“Look, my mother may not love. Truth be told, she doesn’t like you and doesn’t trust you. I may not agree but she has her reasons and I won’t begrudge her that. You don’t like her either and don’t hold her in very high regard. Again, I may not agree but you have your reasons and I won’t begrudge you that. But I need you both to do this for me. There’s no one else I can send. I need you to protect her for my sake. For Bran’s. For father and the girls. For Rickon. Please.”

“As you wish” he accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the journey begins ... I hope you like it ...
> 
> Thanks for reading


	3. En route to King’s Landing: A road trip

Having packed a few changes of clothes and some personal belongings in a small satchel each, both Jon and Catelyn met with Robb, Theon and Maester Luwin at the stables. Robb gave them a pouch with some coin and Catelyn had taken a few of her pieces of jewellery to sell in case they needed. Maester Luwin gave them a pack with some bread, fruits and dried meat and two wineskins filled with water. They intended to keep their journey a secret, so they waited until after sunset to set off.

“Take care of your brothers” Catelyn told her oldest son.

“I will. Remember, try not to speak to anyone and remain as inconspicuous as possible.”

“Will do, Robb. If we leave tonight, we should be arriving at White Harbour in three days” said Jon.

“A trip to Kings Landing by boat shouldn't cost more than a dragon. The information we have may not be completely up to date, but the money you have should be enough” Maester Luwin added.

“I would feel more reassured if we could ask Lord Manderly at White Harbour for help” Robb mused.

“We can’t. The fewer people who know, the better” Catelyn was quick to reply. 

“Are you taking the blade?”

“Yes, it’s in my satchel”

“I have something for you” Theon stuttered timidly and reached into his cloak. “It may come in handy.” He gave Jon a small knife. “As much as I enjoy taunting you and bickering with you, I need you to know I just do it for fun. It would mean a great loss if something were to happen to you.”

“Thank you, Theon” Jon said appreciatively. 

“My Lady,” Theon addressed Catelyn, “you come from the land of rivers. Water courses through your veins, much like mine. Water is a source of life.” He fumbled with his cloak and produced a small fishing hook sporting the sigil of a kraken with a line attached to it. “I trust you have used these before.”

“I have” she replied with a smile that denoted some long forgotten fond memories. “I used to go fishing in the river with my sister and a friend that used to live with us. A ward, much like you. Thank you, Theon.”

“Come back as soon as you speak to Father and stay safe” Robb interrupted the unexpected sentimental moment.

“If Bran wakes up, tell him ...” Catelyn trailed not sure how to express her conflicted emotions. “Tell him I’ll be back soon. Tell him I did as much as I could for him but that now I have to go help father and the girls.”

Catelyn nodded to Jon and they both mounted their horses. They pulled up their hoods and made their way quietly out through the gate into the night. Not long after that they were setting a steady pace on the King Road heading south in the direction of White Harbour.

They rode until the sun came out and stopped to relieve themselves and have something to eat. Not much was said between them and the silence hang over them like a heavy cloud. Nothing needed to be said, nothing they didn’t already know. They both wanted to make the trip, they both wanted to warn Ned of the Lannister conspiracy and the dangers they were facing, the both wanted to find out who had sent the assassin. They just didn’t want to do it together.

After a short breakfast they set off again and didn’t stop until mid afternoon.

“Lady Stark,” Jon broke the silence after the longest time. “I need to relieve myself. Can we stop?”

She just turned around and nodded. “I could use a break as well.”

They dismounted and headed behind the trees in opposite directions. After they had both finished, they decided to take a break and have something to eat. “The horses need to rest” she said.

They had their supper in silence and continued their march.

They were both feeling tired as the sun was about to set. They had been riding for almost a whole day. Jon had started to nod off and Catelyn’s eyes had closed a couple of times, as well. “I think we should stop before one of us falls off and gets hurt” Jon suggested. He was met with approval by a very tired Lady Stark.

“Should I light a fire?” he asked.

“Maybe we shouldn’t. We don’t want people to see the smoke nor to see the remains of our camp tomorrow morning.”

Catelyn handed Jon some bread and an apple and got the same for herself. They each used their own wineskin.

After supper, they both wrapped themselves in their own cloaks to keep warm, turned away from each other and went to sleep. 

When Catelyn woke up she noticed Jon was not lying next to her and worried for a second. Then she heard him coming back pulling the horses.

“I took them to the stream so they could drink some water and feed.”

“Good” she replied.

Catelyn rummaged through their pack and took out a loaf of bread which she cut in half. She handed Jon one half and ate the other.

“We should refill our wineskins now that we are close to the stream before we head further inland” she suggested. Jon volunteered to take both wineskins to the water while Catelyn took the opportunity to relieve herself before they set off once again.

The road bordered the stream for a few miles before heading deep into the land only to come out at the White Knife, the river that would lead them directly to White Harbour. It was almost sunset by the time they reached the White Knife and they decided to camp behind some rocks a few feet away from the shore.

“Tomorrow we should be able to reach White Harbour” Catelyn said as she gave Jon a piece of dried meat and got one for herself. “When we get there, we need to head straight into the port trying not to draw attention to ourselves.”

“Maester Luwin said there’s a daily ship service to the capital. Or we could board a merchant ship. Which do you prefer?” he said trying to chew a particular hard and dry piece of meat.

“Whichever one we can find.”

“Maester Luwin sure went to great lengths trying to find the hardest cow in the castle, didn’t he?” he tried to joke when he saw she was having the same problem with her meat.

“That, or maybe it’s not even a cow” she joked back. They smiled at each other and finished their meal in silence.

“It’s colder by the river than it was in the forest last night” Catelyn noted and she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

“Maybe we should light a fire. Nobody will see us behind these rocks.”

“I wouldn’t want to risk it. We are just a day away from the town, somebody is bound to see us.”

They were both shivering and they both knew that huddling together would be the smartest way to share heat. But neither wanted to voice their concern in case the other thought them weak. So they just curled up in their cloaks and faced away from each other to go to sleep. 

This morning it was Catelyn who woke up first and arranged their breakfast before she woke Jon. They broke their fast in silence and set off again. It was past lunch time when they reached the city. Quietly and under the cover of their hoods they made their way to the port.

“Please don’t take offence, my Lady, but I think I should be the one dealing with the captains. A pretty woman travelling on her own may raise some eyebrows and draw attention we would much sooner avoid” Jon suggested.

“And you don’t think a cunning naval merchant may take advantage of a young boy travelling alone?” she retorted. “But you’re right. You will catch less attention than I. Here, take this pouch. Be careful.”

“Wait here. I’ll come get you when I have secured passage for the both of us.” They nodded at each other and while Jon went into the town alone, Catelyn stayed outside guarding the horses.

Jon walked up to the port and asked about the ship leaving for the capital. The merchant ship had left earlier that morning and there wouldn’t be another one for two days. His other option was a small daily passenger service which made several stopovers in different towns all along the coast.

“How much for two rooms on your ship?” he asked the captain.

“I have only got one left” he replied.

“How much?”

“How much have you got?”

Jon fished into the pouch and produced two packs of coins. “This is all I can give you.”

The captain eyed the coins and nodded. “Deal”

“Do you have room for two horses?”

“That would cost you an extra pack.”

Begrudgingly Jon took another pack of coins and handed it to the captain. “Here.”

“We leave in three hours. Be sure to board before that time or we’ll leave without you.”

Having purchased the tickets, he went back out to get Catelyn and they both boarded the ship with plenty of time to spare. They decided to stay in their room until they were far enough away from land.

Jon felt the air in the room get thinner. The small porthole of their cabin did not let much light in and he started to feel faint. The swaying movement of the ship was making him dizzy. He felt sick. He needed air. He needed sun. After some mumbled excuse he stepped out of the room on to the deck. He was grateful not just for the fresh breeze, but also for the respite being alone provided him. For her part, Catelyn was also grateful she could enjoy some moment to herself.

Jon had never been on a ship before. The rocking movement together with his overall tiredness was taking its toll. He held on to the railing but feared his weakened arms would not be able to hold him if a stronger wave hit the boat. He felt jealous of all the other passengers and sailors who seemed unaffected by the movement. A sudden retch hit his stomach and he had no choice but to lean forwards or else he would soil his clothes. He heaved and retched over the railing until he could catch his breath. It was then that a hand grabbed him by the arm and held him still. Another hand offered him a wineskin and he took a big gulp.

“Take small sips. Don’t swallow” the same hand said. But it was too late. By the time he looked up, another heave hit him again and he vomited all over the generous hand and the body that hand belonged to.

“Lady Stark” he breathed out. “I’m so sorry.”

“Go back into the room” she spat setting her jaw. “Lie down on the bed and cover your eyes with a wet rag. That should alleviate the dizziness.”

“I’m so sorry” he repeated seeing her soiled cloak and hand.

“Go. Now. I’ll see if I can get this off my clothes and I’ll join you later.”

Jon was lying on the bed keeping a wet rag on his eyes just like Catelyn had instructed when she walked in holding her cloak in her hands.

“I was able to wash the vomit off my clothes. I just hope it dries overnight.”

“I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“First time on a ship?”

Jon nodded and breathed out a feeble “Yes”.

“If you felt sick you should have told me” she admonished him. “And you shouldn’t have leaned over the railing to vomit. That was reckless. You could have fallen overboard.”

“I’m sorry” he repeated.

“How are you feeling?” she asked in a softer tone.

“Better, my Lady” he replied and started to get up.

“Lie still” she stopped him. “You shouldn’t be up.” Catelyn grabbed the rag, dipped it in the bowl again and applied it to Jon’s eyes. “The water on the face helps mitigate the effect of the movement and the coolness of the wet rag keeps your temperature under control. It tricks the mind, my uncle used to say. I don’t know if it’s true, but my uncle used it with us and it worked.”

Jon wanted to stay awake. He wanted to hear her story. But most of all he didn’t want her to think he was a nuisance or a burden. Behind the wet rag, darkness called him and sleep beckoned him into its embrace. He was oblivious to Catelyn wetting the rag and applying it to his face over and over again through the night. He was oblivious to her inner turmoil.

“Oh, Ned, he looks so much like you” she whispered to the solitude of the room. 


	4. King’s Landing: Sharing suspicions

The port of King’s Landing was much bigger and busier than White Harbour, Jon thought. Both Jon and Catelyn stepped off the ship and intended to head into the outskirts of the city to book a room at an inn. But before they made it out into the streets they were intercepted by two men.

“Lady Stark? Jon Snow?” they questioned.

“Who’s asking?” Catelyn replied.

“A friend of yours sent us. He wants you to follow us.”

“I have no friends here. You must be mistaken.”

“Your friend is not mistaken” the man replied showing her a pin with a mockingbird on it.

“Please excuse me for a moment” Catelyn quickly answered and took Jon aside.

“Do you know these men?” Jon asked her.

“No, but I know the sigil. It’s a mockingbird. It belongs to a friend of mine. He was a ward of my father’s when we were growing up in Riverrun.”

“The one you mentioned to Theon when he gave you the fishing hook?” he asked and she nodded.

“He might be able to help us. He’s a good friend and I trust him.”

“So, do you want us to follow these men?”

“No. I will follow the men. I want you to do something else. I want you to make yourself scarce and disappear.”

“My Lady?” he asked confused. He feared she might dispose of him taking advantage of the anonymity of the big city.

“I need you to do something for me, a favour if you will. I want you to try and find the girls. I need you to tell me they are fine. I need to know how they are faring” she said hating herself for sounding so desperate. “But you can’t let them see you.”

“Are you saying you want me to spy on them?”

“I suppose”

“I will my Lady. I’ll find them and make sure they are safe.”

“Thank you” she said squeezing his hands. “Don’t let them see you.”

“I won’t. Don’t worry. Where will you be?”

“I don’t know. Wherever they’ll take me.”

“Will you be safe?”

“I have no reason not to trust my friend. We were very close growing up and he has gone to great lengths trying to seek me out. I don’t think he means ill.”

“How will I find you again?”

“We’ll meet here at the port again tonight.”

“Be safe, my Lady.”

“You too,”

“The boy is not coming with us” she told the men and let them lead the way.

As soon as Catelyn had left with the men, Jon turned and headed in the opposite direction. He needed to find his sisters. But first he needed to make himself scarce, he needed to disappear. And he chuckled to himself at how frightened he had become at the thought she meant she wanted him to die. He wandered around the port for a while, sneaking into narrow alleys and turning into different passageways. When he was sure nobody was following him, he decided to start his mission. But, where could the girls be? They were guests of the royal family. There was only one place they could be, but that place was completely beyond his reach: the Red Keep. 

How would he get inside? Surely the guards wouldn’t just let him walk through the gates. He circled the castle walls trying to find a way in. He found a small crack in the walls, but it was too small for him to fit. However, that proved not to be necessary. From the behind the wall he heard a voice he recognized very well. He made himself small and pushed his body flat against the wall. And he saw her. The first thing he noticed was that she looked happy, and he felt secretly proud that she was carrying the thin sword he had given her. She was sparring with a man he did not recognize and who had a thick foreign accent. He was definitely not from the north, and he didn’t sound like he was from King’s Landing either. Should he worry? Arya certainly did not seem worried. In fact, quite the opposite. He watched her for a while as she had her fencing lessons. She had never trained with them back at Winterfell, so he was surprised to see how agile and quick to learn she was. Arya was fine. Now he had to find Sansa.

This proved to be more difficult. Where could she be? He made his way around the outer walls of the Keep and tried to peek into the castle. Through the gate he spotted a group of girls walking together, but Sansa was not among them. And even if she had been, there was not much he could have done about it. The guards wouldn’t just let a boy like him loiter near the gate staring at the girls. Fortunately a merchant approached with a cart. While he was distracted with the guards, Jon managed to sneak under the cart and held on to the axle of the wheels. He waited until the cart had passed the gate and was well inside the yard before he let go of the bar and let himself drop onto the street. He backed away from the merchant and any onlookers who might have seen him. The first part was done – he had made it inside the walls of the castle. Now he needed to find Sansa.

He spotted the group of girls again and decided to follow them. Maybe they would lead him to Sansa. The girls walked around the gardens, sat to watch other boys in their sparring session and then they all gathered together in a casual chat. _So this is what southern youths do_ , he mused. Not too different from what he and his brothers did in the North. They would train and spar with their friends always making sure the girls were looking at them. _Well, mostly Theon does that,_ he chuckled to himself.

He continued his search and decided to get closer to the Keep itself. And that’s when he saw her. She was in one of the balconies chatting with Myrcella. They seemed to be having a friendly conversation sitting at a table sipping their glasses. Tommen was sitting on the floor playing right by their table. He couldn’t tell from a distance, but she seemed to be having a good time enjoying an afternoon snack with her new friends – soon to be family. Lady Catelyn would be pleased to learn this. On second thought, did they really want Sansa to get involved with the family they suspected had tried to kill Bran? 

Now it was time to go back. He had to meet Lady Catelyn at the port, but that was not for a few more hours. Even so, he surmised that he had better leave the walls of the castle and go back into the city before someone could see him. As difficult as it was to try to get in, getting out proved to be much easier. Nobody paid attention to the people exiting through the gates, it was the entrance to the city that the guards were most worried about.

He had managed to spy on both Sansa and Arya without being seen by them, and he was secretly proud of that. However, he had forgotten there was someone else in the city who could recognize him – his own father. Jon had just left the city walls when Ned Stark walked by him accompanied by a man he didn’t know. They locked eyes and Jon immediately lowered his gaze and tried to disappear into the crowd. But it was too late. Jon managed to get away, but he wasn’t completely sure Ned had actually recognized him. He fervently hoped that wasn’t the case.

.

.

.

Catelyn waited for what seemed like hours in Petyr Baelish’s establishment. She had never been in such a place and hoped never to do so again. She never knew that her own friend would run such a business: a brothel. Why would people want to work in a place like this one? Why would men resort to these places and these women when they could be happily married? _Ned would never_ , she thought to herself. But then the face of a young boy with dark hair crept into her mind. What if his mother was a prostitute? What if he had been conceived here in the capital? What if this woman was still here? She told herself to stop this line of thinking. It would bring her no benefits at this point and only distract her from her current worries.

“Cat, what a pleasure to see you here!” a voice she hadn’t heard in ages greeted her. It was her childhood friend, Petyr Baelish. But he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by another man she hadn’t seen in years. The Spider they called him, and it wasn’t until he greeted her that she could recall his real name, Lord Varys. They asked her about Bran’s attack and the blade. She was surprised to see how much they already knew. She had just arrived at the city and hadn’t talked with anyone. How could these two men know she had come here, that Bran had been attacked and that she had brought the knife with her? Could it be possible that Jon had betrayed her trust? Maybe he knew his mother was here all along and now planned to get together with her and betray her family. But she quickly discarded that line of thinking. Maybe something worse had happened. What if he had been caught and arrested? She hoped that wasn’t the case, but that still didn’t explain how these two men could know so much.

“Secrets, my dear. We deal in secrets” Petyr explained. “Some people trade in goods, others in money. Some of us deal in pleasures” he added gesturing at the room they were standing. “But secrets is our currency.”

The knowledge that these two men could know so much gave her bad vibes and sent shivers down her spine. But Petyr was her friend, he wouldn’t harm her. So when they asked to see the blade, she gave it to them. It was no use lying to them and telling them she didn’t have it – they already knew she did. Their reaction perplexed her. Varys was confused and at a loss. He couldn’t tell her much about the knife. Petyr, however, was smirking and gloating over the fact that he knew something his friend didn’t. Apparently the blade had once belonged to him, but he had lost it to Tyrion Lannister in a bet.

After their conversation Petyr offered her a room for the night, an offer she respectfully declined. She had no intention of sleeping in such a place, let alone bringing the boy here. She would find her husband first. Then she and Jon would find accommodation somewhere else if they could not find a boat leaving that same night. But Petyr’s next offer filled her with joy.

“At least allow me to do something for you. I’m sure you’re aching to see your husband. As much as I wish it was me you were aching to see, I’ll do this for you. I can go find him if you wish.”

“You’re a true friend, Petyr” she thanked him.

Not too long after Baelish and Varys had left, someone knocked on her door. She peered through the keyhole and was relieved to see her own husband. They hadn’t seen each other in over a month, and the few days before he had left were actually a blur in her mind. She hadn’t been herself back then and he had been too busy with the King. Seeing him again and being held in his arms again made her forget all her worries and wish they could just be all back home safe and sound.

She told him of what had happened at home, how a man had attacked Bran and herself, how the wolf had stopped him, how it was Jon who had found them, how they had come to suspect that the Lannisters were behind the attack, and how they had decided Ned had to be informed in person.

“You didn’t come alone, did you?” her husband said kissing her still bandaged hands.

“I thought it unwise to bring a large party, as Rodrick Cassel had suggested. It would have drawn too much attention.”

“But you didn’t come alone?” he insisted.

“No”

“I’m not imagining things, then” he laughed relieved. “I saw Jon.” He waited for her response and she nodded in confirmation. “Is Robb here too? Who is running Winterfell? Who else came with you?”

“It’s just us two.”

“I’m surprised you decided to travel with him.”

“It wasn’t my decision. It wasn’t his either. Robb thought it best if it was him and I.”

“Why isn’t he here?”

“As soon as we got off the boat some of Petyr’s men were waiting for us as the port. I found it odd he would already know about us.”

“There are hardly any secrets in this city” her husband shrugged his shoulders shaking his head in disappointment.

“They told us to come here. I thought best if we were not together, in case these men were not who they said they were. Besides, I wanted him to do something else for me. I needed him to. I had to know the girls were safe. I asked him to look for them and make sure they were alright.”

“I saw him by the Keep. He was trying to stay out of sight. And don’t worry about the girls. They are alright” he reassured her kissing her temple.

She continued telling him about her conversation with Baelish and Varys and how they had confirmed her suspicions: the Lannisters were behind the attack on Bran. Her husband also shared vital information with her.

“Apparently Jon Arryn had reasons to believe Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime have been carrying out an illicit affair for years and that all of Cersei’s children are Jaime’s and not Robert’s.” Ned explained.

“Do you think that’s why they had him killed?”

“Possibly. That’s what your sister’s letter implied.”

“Maybe Bran heard them or saw them conspiring and that’s why they tried to kill him” Catelyn was horrified. “We need to talk to the King about this. He’s your friend, he’ll listen to you.”

“Leave that up to me. You go back home with Jon. Tell Robb to call the banners and have them ready.”

“Do you think there will be war?”

“I hope not, but it never hurts to be prepared. Tell him to fortify Moat Cailin, and to send small garrisons to all the coastal towns, from the Stony Shore, to the Rills and the Barrowlands, and also to the east. Our bannermen have to be on the lookout and ready to act should anything happen.”

“Yes” she replied, the severity of their situation dawning on her.

“We’re about to implicate one of the most powerful families in the murder of a Hand, an illegal affair that turns the heir to the throne into a bastard, and a possible conspiracy to overthrow the King. We need to be on our guard, Cat.”

“I wish I could stay longer. I wish I could see the girls. I wish I could take you all home with me” she smiled mirthlessly.

“Would that I could return home with you my love” he replied holding her close to his body.

His hands started to slowly caress her back. The embrace soon turned into a kiss. The kiss became deeper and longer as their hands became intertwined around their bodies. Soon those hands started to dig under each other’s clothes until they found themselves naked on the bed.

“I’ll try not to think of who else has used this bed before” she chuckled as her husband pushed her on the mattress and climbed on top of her kissing every inch of her body.

Still reeling from their recent activity and after a long time of mutual embrace Ned let go of his wife. “We shouldn’t be seen leaving this place together.”

“Go, I’ll thank Petyr for his hospitality and leave a little bit later. I’m supposed to meet Jon at the port tonight.”

“Take care and stay safe, my love.”

“You too. Come home soon.”

Standing by the window she watched as Ned left and followed him with her eyes. When she deemed he was far enough away she decided to get going and find her way back to the port. She never imagined she would find Lord Varys standing by the door waiting for her.

“I trust your time with your husband was well spent” he smirked raising his eyebrows

“Lord Varys, what are you doing here?”

“Giving you a taste of our currency, as your friend Petyr so eloquently put it.” When she did not reply he continued. “I have heard some secrets, some whispers, if you will. More people other than your friend Baelish and I know you’re here.”

“What do you mean?” she started to get nervous.

“Whispers. People looking for Lord Stark’s wife and his bastard son. People wondering what they could be doing here and what they could want. It would be a shame if you were to be discovered and interrogated. I have heard the methods of interrogation are not particularly comfortable.”

“Who knows about us?”

“Difficult to say. But what they are looking for is a woman with long red hair and a young boy with dark curls. Nobody is looking for a woman with short dark hair and a man with light hair and a beard” he finished handing her a small bag. “Have a safe trip back home, Lady Stark.”

Catelyn inspected the bag and left the brothel immediately. She made her way back to the port and sat waiting for Jon to get back.

“We need to get out of the city” she told him as soon as he was by her side. “But first we need to disappear” she said showing him the contents of the bag Varys had given her.

They found a dark alley where they could hide and proceeded to change their appearance as Varys had suggested. She fished the scissors out of the bag and began to cut Jon’s hair, then she applied the pigment to make his hair turn lighter. She tried to add the fake beard, but it wouldn’t stick to his face.

“This should be good enough. I suppose it looks credible from a distance” she breathed out. “Your turn” she said and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see her husband’s bastard cut the hair her husband loved so much and change the colour that had run in her family for generations.


	5. The Inn at the Crossing: a fortuitous meeting.

“I saw them, your daughters” Jon told Catelyn as they were walking along the Kings Road. They had been tempted to take their horses again from the warehouse manager at the port, but were afraid that would give them away. They would either need to give their real names to the manager or steal the horses, both of which would turn many unwanted eyes upon them. “Arya was training with a swords master. She seemed happy. I have to admit she surprised me with her ability. Back home she rarely spars with us and I had never really seen her with a sword.”

“That’s because she doesn’t have one” Catelyn replied quickly. “I wonder what could have prompted her father to get her a teacher. I wonder where she could have gotten a sword from.”

“I don’t know” he shrugged his shoulders unwilling to admit he was the one who had given her the thin sword before they left home. “But you should know she seemed happy. And the same for Sansa. I saw her at the palace. She was having a light snack at the balcony with Princess Myrcella.”

“Lemon cakes, most likely” Catelyn smiled fondly.

“Knowing her, she’s probably got the whole castle eating lemon cakes by now” Jon added. “She seemed happy and adapted, chatting away with the princess. And little Tommen was sitting next to them playing.”

“Was the Prince not with them?”

“I didn’t see him.”

“Thank you, Jon. I really appreciate it.” They walked in silence a bit further and she decided to confide in him the conversation she had had with her husband. He needed to know everything in case something happened to her. “I spoke with my husband.”

“Did you tell him about the attack on Bran?”

“Yes, and more. My friend Petyr was waiting for me at his establishment with another gentleman, Lord Varys. Apparently nothing happens in the city they don’t learn about, nothing happens in the realm that escapes their ears. They knew about Bran’s accident and the subsequent attack in his room. As it happens, the blade belonged to my friend Petyr, but the Imp Tyrion Lannister won it on a bet. So it was in Tyrion’s hands when the assassin came for Bran.”

“Do you think he sent him?” he asked enraged and his hands went to his side pocket ready to retrieve the knife Theon had given him. “If I get my hands on him, I swear..”

“You swear what? He’s not here right now, put your knife away” she chastised him.

“Sorry” he mumbled.

“And that’s not all. We already had suspicions that the Lannisters were behind Jon Arryn’s death.”

“You sister’s letter?”

“Yes. And now we know why. None of Cersei’s children are Robert’s. They were all conceived by her brother Jaime Lannister.”

“Unbelievable!” he exclaimed. “So Joffrey is actually a bastard” he added confused.

“Yes, a bastard raised to be a Lord. To be a King to be more precise.” They looked at each other and an uncomfortable moment of tension momentarily peaked. It subsided just as quickly. “As far as I know Robert has dozens of bastards, but none of them live in the castle with him. But no one knows about Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. Queen Cersei and Ser Jaime have passed them off as true born, and apparently are willing to kill to keep that a secret.”

“Do you think Bran heard about this and that’s why Tyiron tried to kill him?”

“Possibly. To protect his family.”

“What are you going to do? What will Fath- Lord Stark do?” he almost slipped and, even though she did clench her fists slightly, no other reaction was forthcoming.

“Nothing for now. He gave me orders to relay to Robb. He is to fortify Moat Cailin and send small garrisons to all the towns on the coast, both to the east and west. He said our bannermen had to be ready to act upon short notice. We don’t know what might happen, but they have already killed a Hand and tried to kill an innocent boy twice.”

“The second time they almost killed you” he added pointing at her bandaged hands.

They continued walking in silence until they reached a small farm. “We can’t walk all the way home” Catelyn had said and decided to trade with the farmers for two horses. The farmers were happy to receive a small pack of money and a necklace in exchange for the two animals and both Jon and Catelyn were able to give their tired legs a rest and travel faster to their destination – home.

But home was still a long way away and nightfall caught up with them sooner than they had wanted. They didn’t see any town or inn in the vicinity, so they settled for another night in the open air. Just to be cautious they made sure they set up camp further inland and not so close to the road. They dug into their pack, but not much was left of the food they had packed back in Winterfell. Fortunately nights were not so cold in the south, and their cloaks were enough to keep them warm while they slept.

They got up with the sun the following morning, broke their fast together and resumed their march. The ride was starting to take a toll on them so they were glad when they found themselves near the Inn at the crossroads mid afternoon.

“Let’s stop here now. I suggest we have a warm home-made dinner tonight and sleep on real beds before we continue our journey home.” Catelyn suggested much to Jon’s relief.

Catelyn had rented two rooms so they were able to enjoy some quiet time apart from each other. The company had not been bad and they had been comfortable enough with one another, but that did not mean a respite was not welcome. They had also made use of the facilities and taken a short rest. They met again for supper and shared a table at the back of the Inn. They were enjoying the first decent meal since they left Winterfell so many weeks ago. Unfortunately their quiet dinner was soon interrupted. 

“The Lady here says there is no more room. I have a bag of coins that would beg to differ” a cocky voice sounded from the front of the dining hall.

“Tyrion Lannister” Catelyn gasped silently. She motioned for Jon to stay still and hid her face under her hood. Jon mimicked her actions.

“I come from a long journey and would love to give my short legs a rest. I have been to the North and back again. I have been to Winterfell, the Wall, and Winterfell again” he continued.

“Winterfell” Jon mouthed quietly to Catelyn who just opened her eyes wide.

“Had great adventures in the North. Would gladly sit with any of you and share my incredible tales over a big flask of ale. Or not. I can just pay you to give me a room and decent food - a change from that dreary solid crap the northerners call food. Unfortunately our gracious host says there is no vacancy. Interesting since I don’t see so many people here” his sarcasm not hiding his disdain and suspicions. “There’s a group of farmers, I hope your harvest is fulfilling this year” he said gesturing towards a table with three men. “I see some soldiers. Your sigil is not from the West. You seem fierce enough, so I hope we never have to face each other in battle.” He jingled his bag again making his intentions known. “Anybody willing to trade this lovely handmade bag filled with coins for a warm room in this fine establishment?” he asked but was met with silence. “How about you two, you seem like a caring father sitting with your son. Wouldn’t you want to get something nice for wife with this money? Lad, wouldn’t you want to buy your mamma a new dress?” he asked a man and a young boy sitting by the window.

Jon and Catelyn were sitting at the back still hiding in the dim light hoping their disguise would trick Tyrion .

“What shall we do?” Jon asked.

“Nothing for now. Let’s just hope he doesn’t recognize us” she replied.

“We should arrest him” Jon said anxiously. “He just said he went back to Winterfell.”

“I agree” she said clenching her knuckles and biting her lip. 

“He needs to face justice for what he did to Bran.”

“Oh, Jon, I couldn’t agree more, but now is not the time. Let’s wait to see if he recognizes us. If he does we’ll accuse him. I know many of the men in this hall. These are my father’s lands and these are my father’s men. They’ll help us. But I would sooner go back home and make sure Bran is safe first. Let’s hope he does not see us. Keep your gaze down and do not meet his eyes”

Tyrion jingled his bag again and the metal sound of the coins filled the room. “So nobody willing to trade? What about you two at the back?” he asked gesturing to Catelyn and Jon’s table. Catelyn shook her head slightly motioned for Jon to stay quiet. “Lad, barely enough to grow a decent beard. You could use a good trim to improve that mop of ugly hair on your chin. What about you give your old mother a decent haircut in town? No offence my lady, but wouldn’t you want to buy a new mirror?” he insisted and rattled his coins again. “Or are you not mother and son, then? Oh, the lady likes them young! Enjoy your night on feathered bed then! It’s on me” he said tossing a coin to the Inn keeper “Get them a nice glass of wine to get them started for the night.”

“No, thank you my Lord” Jon answered with a timid voice and kept his gaze down. He was puzzled and was not sure how to respond to Tyrion’s taunting. He thought he had seemed decent enough back at Winterfell when they had first met. He had seemed unaffected by the fact that Jon was a bastard and that was enough for Jon to think highly of Tyrion. But now, he seemed different. He seemed arrogant and snobbish, as if expecting people to bow to him. Had Tyrion fooled him the first time? Was this new impression due to the fact that he now knew he had tried to kill Bran? Catelyn, meanwhile, closed her eyes and set her jaw tight. She was praying Lord Tyrion would just go away.

“Enjoy your night, some of us should at any rate. I won’t since nobody is willing to trade” Tyrion continued.

“I will!” a joyous voice rang from next to the kitchen. “You can keep my bed and I will keep your coin.”

“Ah, there’s a man who knows business” Tyrion said walking away from Catelyn and Jon.

“You can also buy me a beer while we do business” he added. “Name’s Bronn. At your service.”

“There’s a man who knew business and is now just pushing his luck. But I’m a man of my word. The Lannisters always pay their debts” he smirked. “Inn keeper, will you be so kind as to bring this fine gentleman and me a jug of your finest ale? Oh, and make sure my trunk is taken to my new room” he finished with a gloating smile.

Ignoring the jabs thrown at them, Catelyn and Jon finished their dinner in complete silence and retired as soon as they could. They went to their respective rooms and agreed to meet again at the door of the Inn before sunrise so they could leave without being seen by Lord Tyrion. There would be time to laugh about what they looked like with the fake beard and the half decent haircuts with the new pigmentations. There would be time to feel indignant at having been mistaken for lovers – the Lord’s bastard and the Lord’s wife. And there would be time to exact justice for what he had done to Bran. But now was not that time. They had averted danger once. They didn’t want to test fate again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, to think that it could have very well turned out this way if Tyrion hadn't recognized Catelyn ...


	6. King’s Landing: Confrontation with the King

He had the motives and the evidence, Ned convinced himself. He had Lysa’s letter implicating the Lannisters in Jon Arryn’s death - she would have no reason to lie to her own sister. He also knew why they had killed him: to keep the truth about Cersei and Jaime. He had the words in the book; every time a Baratheon was born he was black of hair, every time a Lannister was born he had golden hair. The three royal children’s golden colour was a clear indication of who the father was. And Jon’s last words confirmed it: “the seed is strong”. He had the knife used in Bran’s assassination attempt. They knew it belonged to Tyrion, Baelish himself had said so. Ned may not have too many reasons to trust Petyr Baelish, after all, the man had been stupid enough to challenge his brother Brandon to a duel when he was about to marry Catelyn. But it precisely because of that reason that he felt he could trust him. For better or worse, the man still loved Catelyn. He had gone to great lengths and risked being seen just to help her out. He would have no reason to lie to her about this. He would confront the King. He had to warn him against the dangers they were facing.

“That’s preposterous!” King Robert roared. “Joffrey is mine, and so are Myrcella and Tommen!”

“Your Grace, the evidence speaks for itself” Ned tried to convince his long time friend.

“Evidence? The words on an old book?”

“It’s not just the book Your Grace”

“Knock it off with the Your Grace, will you Ned? You sound like one of those snivelling lickspittles that surround me in this thrice damned city!”

“Robert, for the friendship that binds us, listen to what I’m saying”

“That my wife is untrue. My wife hasn’t been a true wife for years, hell I know that, but she hasn’t been with another man.”

“Look at the evidence , Your – Robert”

“An old dusty book written by people who have never fucked a woman!”

“Not just the book. Your children’s looks, Jon’s investigation and mysterious death, Lysa’s letter, the attack on my son, Lord Baelish’s testimony about the knife. On their own, these things might not mean much, but when you put them all together, the evidence is compelling.”

“What do you want me to do Ned?” a defeated Robert sighed. “Execute my wife? Behead her treacherous brother and the troublesome Imp? Believe me, nothing will give me more pleasure. But I can’t. My hands are tied.”

“Your hands are not tied. You are the King.”

“The King of lies, Ned, the King of lies. I won the throne. I fucking won it. I killed the fucking dragon, but I did not get the girl. She was supposed to be mine, your sister. But the damned harp-playing adulterous son a bitch beat me to it. And I lost her, because of him.”

“I lost her too, Robert.”

“Yes, but you went on to marry a sweet girl and go back home. She even tolerates your bastard and your barren icy god-forsaken land you call home with no complaints. What did I get? A wife who can’t bear to breathe the same air as I do and her controlling family. She hates me, Ned. We haven’t made love in years. Oh, we have fucked, sure, but not made love. She closes her eyes. She thinks I can’t tell, but I do. I don’t even bother giving her pleasure any more. I suppose that’s why she sought her brother” he snorted. “Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe she stopped wanting me because she already had him. Or maybe she never did. Who knows? I did love her once. At the beginning. I did, I swear. She was pretty, she was witty” he reminisced fondly for a few seconds. “They forced Cersei upon me and the whole Lannister plague came with her. Her family controls me, Ned. And I can’t stop it. Jon tried to help me, to steer me in the right direction, but I as too busy. Too busy whoring and drinking” he shook his head in frustration. “So she gave me three bastards. I have lost count how many I have given her” he shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

“Robert, I …”

“Save it, Ned. You are my Hand, you have seen the state of affairs in the realm. What do I do? What are my kingly duties? I do shit, Ned, and the shit I do is bad. Jon ran the kingdom for me. And now you will, as my Hand. You have to help me, Ned. I can’t stop that damned family. Jaime controls the Kingsguard. Her father Tywin controls my finances. Yes, Baelish may think he does it, but where do you think my Master of Coin gets the money from? Baelish has indebted me to the Lannisters in ways I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay. I don’t even know how much I owe them. Ruling is not my thing, Ned, I can face a fucking dragon on the Trident a thousand times, but I just cant bring myself to bother with the trivialities of court.”

“Robert, you have to do something” Ned tried to encourage his obviously distraught friend.

“There’s nothing to do, Ned. Don’t you see it?”

“Robert, they killed Jon. Jon was like a father to us. We owe it to him to find Justice for his murder. They tried to kill my son twice. First they threw him off a window and then they sent an assassin to finish the job. They almost killed my wife as well. Both would have died were it not for my son’s wolf. I can’t let that go unpunished.”

“What are you saying Ned?”

“That you need to act. You need to confront your wife and her family. If they are truly behind Jon’s death and my son’s assassination attempts, they need to pay for it. If your children are truly not yours, they need to be denounced as bastards.”

“You will have me send my children off into the streets like beggars, but you get to keep your bastard.”

“It’s different, Your Grace.”

“Oh, so it’s Your Grace again. Alright. As my Hand I order you to drop the matter.”

“Robert, you are in danger. So am I. So is my family. We need to stop them before it escalates.”

“And if I don’t? Have you stopped to think about the consequences of such actions? You and your god-damned honour! Yes, honour compels you to tell the truth. But sometimes the truth kills you. Sometimes the lie is better than the truth. Who knows the truth about my children? Only Jon, and Jon is dead. Leave it as it, then. Nobody else knows, nobody else needs to know. If I act against them, it will be war. Is that what you want? For the realm to be drowned in blood because my wife fucked her brother?”

“But Robert, they killed Jon and tried to kill my son.”

“People die Ned. Jon was an old man. He would have died eventually. Your son is alive. Cherish him. But if I admit this in public, I will be the laughing stock of the realm. I will lose all authority. The Lannisters will try to take control. Other factions may rise up as well. I may be a shitty king, but no one dares disturb the peace. And my son will come after me when I’m gone. So what if this peace is built upon a lie? Is your god-damn truth and honour more important than the peace and well-being of the realm?”

“Your wife and her family may try to act against you” Ned tried again.

“Not if they don’t know I know the truth. And right now there is only one person who can tell them” he stared down at Ned, a veiled threat lingering in the air. 

“I cannot accept this Robert.”

“Of course you can. It’s your duty, as Hand of the King. The King shits and the Hand wipes, they say. I do nothing but shit all day, Ned, so get your hands ready.”

“Then I respectfully resign from my position as Hand” Ned said slowly reaching into his lapel and unclasping the pin.

“Don’t do it Ned. Don’t you dare.”

“I’m sorry Your Grace. I can’t be your Hand if my advice is not taken and if I’m not allowed to counsel on what would be the correct course of action for the realm.”

“You are not here to advice or counsel, you are here to keep me in check.”

“I can’t do that Your Grace if these actions go in direct contrast to the way I was raised.”

“Oh, fuck your upbringing Ned. You come from the fucking North where women fuck bears and wildlings steal their wives.”

“I stand by what I said, Your Grace. I resign from my position as Hand and request my daughter’s betrothal to Joffrey Waters be annulled.”

“Oh, you fucking hypocrite. You treat your bastard as if he were a true born, forcing your family to do the same, but now my bastard is not good enough for your precious daughter. Get out of my sight Ned! Get back to your ice covered hell, crawl under that shroud of self-proclaimed honour you built that won’t let you see the forest for the trees.”

Disappointed and dejected about the end of their friendship, Ned handed the pin over to the King and left the Throne Room. It was time to leave the city before things got out of control. He quickly went back to his apartments and began getting his affairs in order. Packing and giving his soldiers the order to get everything ready was the easy part. Telling her daughters they were leaving proved to be a lot more difficult than he anticipated.

“But I love it here. Joffrey is very charming and promised he would be a good husband. I am great friends with Princess Myrcella and Tommen adores me” cried Sansa.

“It’s not fair. I have begun to enjoy it here with Syrio’s lessons. I’m getting really good with the sword. If we go back home, I won’t be doing my lessons. I’ll be back to embroidering and such” moaned Arya.

“It’s not fair! First you made a promise to your friend and you forced us to leave home and come here. Now that we are happy here you fight with your friend and force us to leave. You are not fair Father!”

Frustrated and irritated, he resorted to words he hardly ever used with his children. “It’s my decision and it’s final!” he growled putting an end to his daughters’ tirade.

The following morning, the head of house Stark, together with is two daughters, the Septa, the personal guards and the rest of the household that had come with him got on a ship, oblivious to King Robert’s watchful eyes and Queen Cersei’s growing suspicions. 

.

.

.

“So, what do you make of Stark’s flight?” Cersei asked her brother Tyrion who had just returned to the capital.

“So no, _hello dear brother. How have you been? Pray tell me all about your magnificent adventures in the great white north. I missed you so much, I’m so happy you’re back_ ” Tyrion mocked his sister.

“You know I did not miss you and that I couldn’t care less if you had stayed and sworn your vows at the Watch. Are you going to say you missed me?” she retorted taking a sip of her wine.

“Maybe not you in particular, but I did miss what you had to offer” he replied pouring himself a glass. “That horse piss they drink up north is dreadful. Cheers!” he toasted.

“So, now that I have welcomed you into my heart again and you have satiated your thirst, what do you make-” she started.

“Oh, I’m far from satiated. I’m just getting started”

“What do you make of Stark’s flight?” she insisted ignoring his snarky remarks.

“Only two kinds of people run away like that: people who are afraid or people who have something to hide.”

“And which one do you think Stark is?”

“I don’t know. He may be afraid for his family. I mean, his son did have a very suspicious accident and then a very mysterious incident took place in their house with an assassin.”

“So you think he fled because he’s afraid. But then why come here at all?”

“Well, the attack on his son happened after he had left. Maybe something else happened as well.”

“There are rumours his wife was here last week with the Stark bastard.”

“Lady I-am-ridiculously-proper-and-dutiful Stark with Jon oh-look-at-me-I’m-just-a-poor-bastard Snow travelling together? That surely must have been a fun trip” he said mockingly. “I have to admit, they were not at Winterfell when I stopped on my way back from the Wall. And the boy was fine. I mean, he couldn’t walk, but he was alive. So there are rumours they were here?” he asked pensively.

“Yes, very loud rumours. And she was seen meeting with her husband.”

“Do you think they are plotting something?”

“People who plot do not just run away because they are afraid. They run away so they can plot” she went back to her original point.

“Pff!” he breathed out starting to get concerned. “What do you think they might be plotting about?”

“I thought you were the smart one. Figure it out.”

“From what I have seen, they would only plot if their loved ones are in danger. A loved one was in danger. Twice” he said raising his eyebrows at her.

“Are you suggesting I had something to do with what happened to the boy?”

“Did you?”

“Why would I want to harm the boy?”

“Maybe he saw something he shouldn’t”

“Tyrion” she warned him.

“Cersei” he echoed. “Did he see you in the tower? With Jaime?”

“Yes”

“So?” he prompted.

“So what?” shrugged her shoulders. “He had nothing to say.”

“No, he didn’t remember a thing about the fall. I don’t think he remembers a thing about the assassin, either. Lucky you”

“I had nothing to do with the assassin. And neither did Jaime.”

“But maybe that’s not what they think.”

“Do you think they suspect we tried to kill their son? They have no evidence and no motive.”

“Well, about motive … Let’s leave it there. Did they leave together?”

“No. Nobody has seen Lady Stark nor the bastard since that day. Lord Stark and his brood left two days ago.”

“If the left by ship they are probably going to White Harbour.”

“It was merchant ship. They were stopping at Duskendale, Dragonstone and Gulltown before crossing over to Bravos and then back to White Harbour.”

“What the hell was Lord Stark thinking? Why didn’t he take a more direct route?”

“It was the only ship leaving that day. You see, he was in a desperate hurry to flee. There must be a reason for it.”

“When you’re right, you’re right, sweet sister” Tyrion said raising his goblet to her.

“We need to send a ship directly to Bravos and ambush them there.”

“If you send them to Bravos you will be cutting it awfully short with the time. It’s risky and they might see the ship coming. We should wait for them in White Harbour” he reasoned.

“Get it done, then, send the guards.”

“You must have me confused with your other brother, you know, the one who is actually in charge of the Kingsguard, the one who’s not as handsome and not as smart, oh, why, but you must know him, he’s the father of three beautiful children.”

“Get out!” she bellowed. “And get it done. No, you know what. I’ll do it. I will talk to Jaime myself. He must understand the urgency.”

That same afternoon, as he saw Jaime ordering group of soldiers to get on a ship Tyrion mused about how persuasive his sister was. _When she wants something, she gets it. One way or another. Hats off, sweet sister._


	7. The Kings road: a bloody encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Jon and Catelyn get attacked in this chapter. But this leads to a very heartfelt conversation between them.

Riding felt so much better than walking – of course not as good as a wheelhouse. Jon and Catelyn had left the Inn at the Crossroads right at the crack of dawn to avoid been seeing by the Imp. What they would give for a chance to apprehend the Imp, they both thought. But they knew that the longer they remained invisible the better, at least until they arrived home.

“Thank the gods for these disguises” Catelyn commented running her hand through her short dark hair.

“The fake beard is a bit itchy” Jon said scratching his cheeks.

“Just keep it on for a few more days.” As much as they were grateful for the new looks, neither wanted to refer to the fact that they had been mistaken for mother and son, and even worse, lovers. 

Heading north following the Kings road, they kept riding close enough to the road to be able to keep a sense of direction, but far enough away to be able to hide should they meet another rider. Close to noon time, as the sun was at its highest, the decided to stop and find shelter from the heat. They took the chance to eat since they had been able to buy some more food at the Inn before they left. They were running low on money, but had enough food to get them to the North past the Neck at least. They also took the chance to relieve themselves and wash in a nearby stream.

After their short break they resumed their march. Aside from the occasional small talk regarding their current situation, they still kept silent and mostly to themselves. In spite of all they had shared in these past few weeks, they still did not feel comfortable enough around each other to share more intimate feelings. But the initial antagonism and overall frostiness had began to subside.

As Catelyn rode a few meters away to get some privacy Jon couldn’t help but notice this was the third time in the day she had excused herself. When she returned he noticed some blood on her hands.

“I’m sorry, my Lady. I couldn’t help but notice you have excused yourself three times today already. And you seem flushed and more tired than usual” Jon said in a hesitant voice.

“I am fine, thank you” she quickly answered.

“Also, there is blood on your hands. I thought you had healed. Would you like for me to take a look at you hands and bandage them again?”

“Oh, it’s nothing” she quickly answered wiping her hands on her cloak to rid herself of the offending red stain. “Just ignore it” she added somewhat embarrassed.

“But if you’re hurt” he insisted.

“I’m not hurt. Mind your own business” she quickly snapped

“My Lady, I would hate for your wounds to get infected. It’s been weeks since you were attacked, and if you’re not feeling well, we can always stop.”

“I’m not … Ah” she sighed in exasperation. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m not hurt. And that’s the end of it” she said more forcefully than she intended to but really wanting to put an end to the discussion.

Catelyn was more self-conscious the next time she had to excuse herself. When she had packed for this journey, she had expected that getting her moonblood while travelling in the countryside was a possibility. Living in the comforts of a castle she hadn’t anticipated how uncomfortable it would be to change her soiled rags without the privacy of her own chambers. She thought she had packed enough rags, but she had used some with Jon when he had been sick on the ship, so she had started cutting them into shorter strips to make them last longer and was feeling very uncomfortable sitting on a horse for so long. So focused was she on her own predicament that she didn’t hear the men approach. By the time she had finished and was ready to join Jon, she was caught unawares by the knife to her throat and the arm on her stomach. 

“What have we here?” a tall man said pushing Catelyn forwards and smiling to his companions.

“And we have the lad as well” another shorter and younger-looking man replied pushing Jon in a similar fashion.

“Anybody else with you?” a third man asked. He was bigger and older and seemed to be the one in charge. 

“No” Jon answered quickly.

“Where are you headed?” the young man holding Jon asked. He pushed the fake beard and laughed. “Who are you trying to impress, boy?” When he got no reply, he pushed the knife harder onto Jon’s skin drawing blood.

“Home. We’re going home” Catelyn quickly replied upon hearing Jon hiss in pain.

“And where is home, darling?” the tall man holding her prodded.

“About two days down the road, that way” she gestured North with her chin.

“And what are you doing so far away from home?” When she didn’t answer he slashed the knife through her cheek and she gasped in pain.

“Please don’t hurt us” Jon pleaded. “We have nothing.”

“Really?” the one in charge sneered. “We’ll be the judge of that.”

As both Jon and Cat were being forcefully held by the two men still threatening them with their knives, the third man started to pat their clothes. He started with Jon and soon discovered the small knife Theon had given him. “I think I’ll be keeping this one” he said. He continued patting his legs and then rummaged through his satchel. “That’s a change of clothes too many for such a short trip. I’ll ask again, and I’ll ask nicely. Where are you going?”

“She told you, we’re going home” Jon answered and was not ready for the punch in the gut he received.

“Well, by the time you get home, if you ever do” he snickered a toothless grin, “you’ll be needing some new clothes. Hey Lemmy, he seems to be about your size, his bag is yours.”

“Let’s see what the wench has” the man holding Catelyn said.

The older man started patting her clothes and lingered a minute too long on her chest. Feeling the intrusion to her privacy, Catelyn closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “What are you afraid, luv?” he taunted. He continued down her legs and found the bag with the money. “Look at this!” he showed his men. “I thought the lad said you had nothing. You have to teach your boy to lie better” he finished punching her in the stomach knocking the wind out of her. “Got anything else to offer?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I believe she does have something else to offer” the young moan holding Jon said lustfully.

“Please don’t” Jon breathed out but he was quickly cut short by a fist to his face.

The man continued to fondle Catelyn at his pleasure and stuck his hands up her dress. “Lemmy, take care of the boy while Pony and I take care of this one” he instructed the young man. “You’ll get your turn afterwards.”

Jon tried to free himself of the hold the man had on him and lunged forwards to help Catelyn but was immediately grabbed from behind again. As the one called Lemmy started punching and hitting and already wounded Jon, the other two men pushed Catelyn on the ground and tried to push her legs apart. Both Catelyn and Jon resisted as best they could, but they were no match for these stronger and bigger men who were carrying knives and had gained the upper hand from the beginning.

The two men were enjoying themselves running their hands over Catelyn’s body and on her legs under the dress. Suddenly the one in charge reeled back and punched Catelyn on her face. “Gross” he spat. “The whore is bleeding. I’m out” he said disgusted. “If you want her, she’s all yours”

“Nah, we’ll just keep the money, the food and the clothes. And the two horses” said the man who had been addressed as Pony. They stood up and backed away from Catelyn but not before kicking her repeatedly in the front and back of her body as she lay curled up on the ground. “Lemmy, you done with the boy?”

“Almost” he panted almost out of breath as he pummelled Jon’s face and body.

When the men left, Catelyn and Jon barely had any energy left to crawl next to one another. They just looked at each other in silence for the longest time. It wasn’t until she was sure they had left that Catelyn broke down and started crying. 

“I’m glad they didn’t …. You know … they didn’t” Jon stuttered.

She mumbled a silent “Thank you” but couldn’t raise her gaze. Jon put a tentative hand on her back fearful of her reaction, but was surprised when she just sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. More decidedly he brought his other hand around her back and rocked her as she unleashed a torrent of contained tears on his blood-stained clothes.

After what seemed like an eternity and they had both regained their composure they looked at each other.

“Look at us” she said with a mirthless smiled. “The wife of a Lord and her husband’s bastard consoling each other. Who would have thought?”

“What would Lord Stark say if he could see us now?” he replied amiably.

“He would probably tell us to get moving, to get to safety and to nurse our wounds” she offered pursing her lips. “Are you hurt?”

He considered lying, but it was no use. They were both badly hurt and needed each other’s assistance. “My side hurts. And I can’t feel my face, I can’t really open my left eye” he pointed at the swollen black eye on the left side of his face. “And you?”

“They really kicked me hard, my ribs ache. My cheek is burning” she added swiping a hand over her the open cut on her face.

She motioned towards the stream they had passed not too long ago and they both trudged slowly to the water. She made him take his shirt off and took a look at his torso. There was a mixture of black and blue marks all over his skin. She prodded and made sure no bones were broken. Then she proceeded to take care of his face wiping the blood away. “You will bruise, and your eye will be shut for a few days. There’s not much we can do about it here.”

“I’ll be fine, my Lady. Can I take a look at you?” he offered.

She nodded quietly and he started with her face. He washed the blood and tried to clean the open wound on her cheek.

“It needs stitching” he noted.

“Why, I never thought to pack my embroidery kit” she tried to joke to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as Jon gave a faint smile.

“With all due respect, my Lady, can I take a look at the rest? “ he asked pointing at her clothes. “They went down hard on you from what I could tell.”

“No” she shook her head with more force than she intended. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine” she added hesitantly. But when Jon tried to help her get to her feet she hissed in pain. 

“Lady Stark?” he asked concerned.

“It’s nothing” she quickly reassured him.

“If you say so” he replied still unconvinced but not wanting to prod. Her privacy had just been invaded by three strangers, he didn’t want to add to her shame and pain.

They slowly walked away from the stream and sat under some trees. They both knew that they had to move and get help, but neither could bring themselves to be the one to start, exhaustion and pain having taken a heavy toll on them.

“Please, do not tell my husband about what almost happened here” she whispered after a long silence.

“You have my word.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m very sorry about what they did to you. About what they almost did. I wish I could have done more, I wish I could have helped more.”

“You did enough Jon. There’s nothing we could have done. They were three strong men and we are a young boy and a woman. They had their knives in their hands and caught us unaware. We were lucky they did not kill us.”

“True, but I still think there’s more I could have done.”

“It’s funny, you know. Every time I get my moon blood it comes as a disappointment. It’s proof that I’m not carrying a child. But that was precisely what saved me this time. Otherwise they would have … “ and she trailed unable to finish her idea.

His hand went to hers in support but she recoiled slightly. “Would you like to have another child?” he suddenly asked.

“My children are my life. Everything I do is for them.”

“You fought an assassin for Bran. You took a dangerous journey for the girls.”

“So did you” she turned her head to face him.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“I know. I know it now” she lowered her voice. “I suppose I have always known it.”

“I would always help my siblings. I would never wish for any harm to befall them.”

“No, you wouldn’t. But for a long time I was afraid you would.”

“Is that why you hate me so much?”

“Hate?” she repeated taken aback.

“You never wanted me at Winterfell.”

“There’s a big difference. I never wanted anyone to put my children and my family at risk. Our history is full of examples of bastards who were raised to be Lords that ended up usurping their true born siblings. There are women who come knocking claiming to be the mothers of bastards and put the lawfully wedded wives in danger. I never wanted for that to happen to my family.”

“But I would never endanger you or your family. And neither would my mother.”

“How could I know? How do you know? Do you even know who your mother is?”

“No” he shook his head and closed his eyes. “Do you?” he asked hopefully

“No. It’s the one thing Ned never told me. When he first arrived with you in his arms I felt my world suddenly collapse like a sand castle. What would he do with me and my son? Would he turn us away for the new woman in his life and the new son? I was afraid. When that didn’t happen, I begged him to send you away. To foster you or give you to another family to raise you, like all other Lords do. But he refused and I never asked again. When I begged him to tell me who your mother was, not only did he refuse, but he yelled at me like he had never done before. I was afraid for my life at that moment. And I never asked again.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Ever since that moment I have kept my feelings to myself. I never talked about you again. But every time I saw you with my children and every time I saw you with Ned, that lingering fear raised its ugly head like a snake. The fear ended up festering into resentment.”

“But why would you resent _me_? I never asked for it.”

“And neither did I Jon. Look, you’re a good man, and I know that. I have known it for years. But it was still difficult for me to reconcile my fears and feelings of shame with the kind of person you were growing up to be.”

“Is that why you have always made my life so difficult? So that I would leave of my own volition?”

“Made your life difficult? When have I ever made your life difficult?”

“Well, you look at me with angry eyes all the time.”

“And? When have I ever made your life difficult?” she repeated.

“Do you know how hard it was for me to watch you love all your other children but me? How hard it was that every time they had a small issue you would take them into your arms and make their problems go away but never did that for me? I’m not welcome into your family.”

“When have you not been welcome? Name me another bastard who gets to have your life. How many bastards do you know that live in the castle with their father’s family? How many bastards do you know that play and train with their true born siblings? That are educated like a Lord and live the life a Lord’s son? That are welcome into their table every single night for dinner and sleep in the same quarters as the rest of the family? How many bastards do you know that do not have to work for their food and clothes? When have you ever been denied any of these things? Other than by me, when have you ever been denied love?”

“I .. well..” he trailed unable to find a proper answer to the question.

“And why should I love someone who represents everything I fear? You keep saying that you’re a bastard and that you are not welcome in our house. That couldn’t be further from the truth and it’s an insult to my children and my husband and they way they have welcomed you into their hearts. It’s an insult to Maester Luwin and Rodrick Cassel who teach you and train you as if you were a trueborn Stark. It’s an insult to all our servants who indulge you just as much as they do Lord Stark’s other children. What more do you want?”

“But you have never welcomed me.”

“No, to my shame I haven’t” she admitted lowering her gaze.

“What about my future?” he prodded.

“What do you mean?”

“Robb’s going to be Lord of Winterfell one day. Sansa and Arya will be married off to good Lords and lead a good life. Bran will be well taken care of by you and everybody else. Rickon will become a knight or be given some title. What about me?”

“I don’t know. That’s not really up to me. Ever since you arrived at Winterfell with my husband I have had no say whatsoever on your life and what happens to you. I have no say on your future either. That’s your father’s responsibility. You should take that issue up with him, not me.”

“Do you think he’ll think of something for me?” he asked dreading to feel hopeful.

“I can’t say. But knowing my husband I’m sure he will. I don’t think he would just abandon you. Not now if he never did so before. He does care about you.”

“I know he does. I shouldn’t have doubted him.”

“If there’s a lesson for us here is that we didn’t know how fortunate we were. You resented the fact that one woman did not love you but never realized the fact that no other woman would have tolerated you the way I did and that no other family would have loved you the way my family does. In no other house would you have been treated the way you were treated at Winterfell. You were extremely lucky my husband is such a good man and my children so well raised. At the same time, I realized how lucky my family is to have you. How lucky I was to have you. You would do anything for my children and not against them, and I never saw that. This trip and the incidents we have had in these past few weeks have shown me something I should have always known: you truly love my family and would never hurt them. I wish I had seen you for what you really were, and not the fear-induced image my mind conjured up. I wish I had seen the man you were becoming and not the man I feared you would become. My fears and resentment were misplaced.”

“You’re right. My fears and insecurities were also misplaced. I kept crying about being a bastard when in fact I was never truly treated as such. I wish I had focused on what I truly had and not on what I felt I didn’t. I let my jealousy get the best of me. And I’m sorry I always held you responsible for my woes.”

“Jon, I’m sorry for everything that has happened between us, and I will always wonder about what never was to happen. I wish things had been different”

“Me too.”

They remained sitting side by side nursing not just their physical wounds, but reeling from the emotional roller coaster they had just been through. Even if not sharing physical contact as they rested, at least they did not recoil from one another – and that was a step they had never taken before.


	8. White Harbour: Ambushed!

In spite of their initial complaints and after their father had explained everything that had transpired, Sansa and Arya were excited to go back home.

“We should have taken the ship the first time as well” Sansa said enjoying the sun on the deck.

“The King had insisted we travelled on land” their loyal guard Jory explained.

“It’s more fun by land. We could ride and play and hunt. The ship is boring, there’s nothing to do but stare at the sea all day long” complained a bored Arya.

“Not much longer now” Jory calmed her down. “The captain said we should be arriving at White Harbour tomorrow afternoon.”

“White Harbour. Isn’t that where the fat lord resides?” Arya asked.

“Arya! That’s very disrespectful!” Sansa exclaimed.

“What? But he is fat. I remember him. When he came to the feast he needed two chairs to fit that big butt of his”

“No he didn’t!”

“He did!” 

“Enough!” Jory stopped them. “Yes, he is fat. No, he didn’t need two chairs. And yes, that comment is disrespectful” he said putting an end to their bickering.

And the captain’s calculations were right correct. After a long trip that had taken them to many coastal ports in the East of the continent they had crossed over to Bravos and were now returning to Westeros. By mid morning they were able to see land, and by mid afternoon the merchant ship was already approaching the quay at White Harbour.

The captain started yelling orders to his sailors and very soon the ship had docked and both people and goods were ready to be unloaded. Lord Stark had got all his belongings ready and his guards started loading the trunks onto a cart as Sansa, Arya, the Septa and other people in the household set their feet on the ground. Nobody was prepared for the small host of soldiers baring the Baratheon sigil that appeared from behind the office.

“What have you done, Robert?” Ned mumbled to himself. He approached the lieutenant to parlay but was soon apprehended. Having spent such a long time on board a ship, the Stark men were not ready for a fight, but a fight ensued nonetheless as soon as they saw Ned surrounded by the Baratheon soldiers. 

Ned was able to free himself from their grasp and quickly joined the fight. He approached Jory and ordered him to take the girls and the Septa back home. “Go and don’t lock back. Just go. It’s an order!”

Jory Cassel ran to where the girls and the Septa were standing by their luggage and urged them to follow him. Arya, however, took a sprint in the opposite direction. She ran towards her father. “Arya!” both the Septa and Sansa yelled. “Get back here!” But Arya was beyond their reach. Jory tried to run after her but realized it was too late when one of the soldiers grabbed her and took her to the lieutenant. He decided to wait out until the fighting had subsided and took Sansa and the Septa to a nearby hut where they kept out of sight. It was from this hut that they saw Ned and Arya being taken away by the soldiers. Some soldiers on both factions continued fighting, until all the Baratheon soldiers had boarded the ship that would take them and their precious prisoners back to the capital. The Stark soldiers on land grumbled and shouted, but they could do nothing as their lord was, once again, put in chains.

Upon seeing the melee at the quay, Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor had immediately sent his men to stop the riot. Lord Manderly was surprised, however, to see his liege lord Ned Stark being apprehended by the King’s soldiers so he quickly ordered his men to help the Stark party. Unfortunately they were too late, and by the time they arrived Ned and his daughter had already been boarded onto a ship and the ship had already sailed away.

“Lord Manderly, a sight for sore eyes!” Jory greeted the fat lord. “Would that you had come sooner to our aid” he added not without a hint of accusation.

“Had we known their intentions we surely would have. Ser Jory” Lord Wyman replied somewhat offended by the young man’s implied accusation.

“Did you know they were here?” Jory continued, his initial suspicions slowly ebbing away.

“They arrived two days ago requesting permission to dock to make repairs on their ship. They carried the royal flag and bore a royal document detailing a shipping of goods going to Bravos. Upon inspection of the ship we saw no reason to suspect foul play” Lord Manderly explained. When Jory nodded he continued. “We didn’t know Lord Stark was coming. Do you happen to know why he has been apprehended?”

“He had a falling out with the King” Jory said without wanting to give much information away. 

“A simple falling out would not warrant an arrest” the fat Lord prodded but Jory did not provide any further details. “I’ll have a ship sent out after them.”

“No, don’t” Jory stopped him.

“Excuse me? Shouldn’t we mount a rescue?”

“I’m afraid sending men after the ship would only endanger Lord Stark and his daughter. The king will not harm him. We should stand ready nonetheless. I will go back to Winterfell and talk to Lord Robb. I have instructions to relay to him.”

“I shall send some of my men with you. House Manderly will stand with House Stark should the need arise.”

“Thank you my Lord” Jory nodded and accepted Lord Wyman’s offer of help.

Jory tried to console a grief-stricken Sansa. “Your father will be fine” he said. “We’ll take you home to your mother and brother and they will find a way to free you father and sister” he assured her, not really believing his hollow promises.

The trip back to Winterfell was sombre and sad, a far cry from what Sansa had expected the trip back home would be. On the one hand she was excited to return to her mother and brothers, but on the other, she feared she might never see her father and sister again. This feeling of despair only increased when she was told her mother had not returned yet. “Where could they be?” she asked. But neither Robb nor Maester Luwin, nor anybody else for that matter could provide her with answers.

Robb was acting Lord of Winterfell, and as such, all the responsibilities for the protection of the North fell on him. Jory was quick to relay all the instructions Lord Stark had given him. Thus it was not long before Robb sent ravens to all their bannermen in the North telling them about Ned’s arrest and urging them to raise the banners and ready their armies in case of a possible upcoming conflict. He also sent a contingent of soldiers to Moat Cailin, the only entry to the North by land.

“And now we march to free my father” he announced triumphantly to Maester Luwin.

“That would be unwise my Lord” he replied calmly.

“Why do you say so? I can’t just sit idly while my father and sister rot in a prison.”

“I don’t believe they will be harmed. Your father is good friends with the King. I believe we should wait for the King’s words. Maybe he only intends to meet with your father. And we should wait until your mother arrives.”

“We don’t even know where she is. She hasn’t sent any letters. We don’t even know if they live!” he was starting to despair.

“Desperation won’t make them haste. Caution is always the surer way.”

“I will heed your advice for now, Maester Luwin. But I won’t sit idly by. The north has been notified and alerted. But we need other allies. I will send Theon to my mother’s house in Riverrun. My grandfather will come to our aid if needed, and they are a lot closer to King’s Landing.”

“Robb, there’s something you need to know as well” Sansa called his attention. “After we had left the capital, Father told us the reason he and King Robert had fallen out. I know you already believe the Lannisters to be behind the death of Jon Arryn and Bran’s accident. But there is something else they are hiding.” Sansa proceeded to tell him everything their father had told them about the Queen and her brother and how Robert’s children were not really Robert’s. “Mother knows this too. Father told us that they met in the capital, but we did not get to see her. She fled the capital before we did, Father said.”

Robb and her sister stayed together in the solar wondering about the whereabouts of their mother and Jon and about the fate of their father and sister who had been taken prisoner. One silver lining was the health of Bran. He had woken up and although he was unable to walk, he seemed to be getting better and gaining strength.

.

.

.

In the capital King Robert and his wife were sharing an odd moment of camaraderie.

“When was the last time we sat together and enjoyed a glass of wine?” Robert asked Cersei pouring her a glass.

“Probably before Myrcella was born” she smiled at him.

“We could have made it work, Cersei. There was a time when we could have.”

“Yes, maybe.”

“What happened to us?”

“The ghost of a woman I can’t compete with happened to us.”

“She has been dead for years, Cersei”

“Not in your head. I had great hopes Robert. I had married the strongest man in the realm, the man who had defeated Rhaegar Targaryen in battle and had ousted the Mad King saving the seven kingdoms from his tyranny, I kept repeating in my head. But the night we married you came to our bed stinking of wine and other women and whispered her name before you collapsed on top of my. _Lyanna_ , you whispered. There was no hope after that.”

“I know I have been untrue to you. I’m sorry about that. But you have remained true to me and have given me three beautiful children. And for that I will be forever grateful. They will be my legacy. Ignore anything Ned Stark has to say.”

“According to our reports, he has already been apprehended and should be arriving soon.”

“I will talk to him. I will dissuade him of any notions he may have. Nothing will disturb the peace we have. Your family has to stand with us. Remember that if I fall, so does your father. If anything happens to me, people will give credence to the false rumours started by Ned and his family. And we don’t want that.” He needed Cersei to believe him ignorant of the truth and assurance that her family – and most importantly, her father - would stand by him and not against him.

“No we don’t” she agreed. “And what if your friend insists on these false allegations. What will you do?”

“I’ll do what I have to do to make sure he doesn’t. Together, we will not fall.”

“Cheers” they toasted. 

.

.

.

A raven arrived at Riverrun and the Maester quickly took the letter to Hoster Tully.

_From: Lord Robb Stark – Acting Lord of Winterfell._

_To: Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun – Lord Paramount of the Riverlands_

_Grandfather,_

_We have reason to believe a conspiracy is afoot. Upon learning of tidings I would prefer not to confide in writing, my father, Lord Eddard Stark resigned his position as Hand of the King. He was on his way back to Winterfell when he was apprehended and taken back to the capital together with my little sister Arya._

_My mother, your daughter Catelyn, who had gone to the capital to warn my father of certain events I would just as soon not confide in writing, has vanished after meeting with my father several weeks ago and has not been heard of again._

_I am sending a trusted envoy to get you up to date with the current events and to share our suspicions. I pray that I can count on your assistance should the need arise._

_Please keep me abreast of any word you may have about the fate of my father and the whereabouts of my mother._

_Yours truly,_

_Lord Robb Stark._

By the time Theon and Jory arrived at Riverrun, word had been spread that Lord Eddard Stark, former Hand of the King had returned to the capital to retake his position as Hand of the King or would be executed for treason if he didn’t.

.

.

.

A war was brewing and while everybody knew it was coming, no party dared make the first step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some reviweres have mentioned that Lord Manderly would never allow a plot agaisnt Ned to be done in his own lands. And I agree. He would be very suspicious, but ONLY if he had reasons to be suspicious. Here, he had no idea Robert and Ned had had a fight and he had no idea Ned had fled the capital and was not even aware Ned was coming to White Harbour. Also, Robert's ship did not look suspicious at all: a small garrison of men docking to make repairs on a ship sailing to Bravos and they even had documents to back them up. And as far as he knew, Ned and Robert are friends and the King has no reason to attack anyone in the North. That's one aspect I have always loved about the books: poeple act ONLY according to what they know or have reason to believe. This is an aspect that was lost in the later seasons in the show where characters just happened to know things, just happened to know who to trust and who not to trust as if they had seen the show.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Up next: Catelyn and Jon look for a safe place ... Nothing is safer than family, is it?


	9. The Vale of Arryn: A Place of Safety

“We need to get going, Jon” Catelyn said. “We can’t just stay here. And we need to be seen to by a Maester or at least a healer.”

“Are you hurt?” he asked concerned.

“Not anymore than you are, I suppose”

“Where shall we go?” Jon asked looking in all directions.

“Well, Winterfell is too far away. We’ll never make it in this condition. We are hurt and we have no money and no food.”

“And no horses” Jon added.

“We could go to my Father’s in Riverrun. But that would keep us in a crowded land on roads I would just as soon avoid right now.”

“We could go back to the inn and ask for help”

“Or they could turn us to the Queen’s men.”

“You sister?” Jon suggested.

“We could. They Eyrie is that way” she pointed towards the mountains “and it’s closer than Riverrun.”

“Will we have to climb those heights?”

“Well, just as far as the Bloody Gate, after that, we will find suitable transport.”

“The Bloody Gate” Jon repeated. “It sounds welcoming”

“Well” she shrugged, “the place might not be very welcoming, but my sister will be.”

They helped each other get on their feet as they both hissed and winced in pain. The blood had dried, but the bruises and the wounds still remained. They walked together side by side as they had to rely on each other to move.

They found the High Road that led into the Vale of Arryn and started walking just like they had done before: close enough to the road to be able to follow it, but far enough away to keep out of sight. The trek on the High Road, however, was not as easy as the Kings Road had been. The High Road was a much narrower path which made its way winding through the mountains. Very often they found themselves sandwiched between a steep mountain slope and the edge of a cliff that fell down onto the rocky bottom.

They were hungry and they were tired. But they had no food and couldn’t really afford to stop for long breaks. When they reached a stream that cascaded down the mountain they decided to take a rest and quench their thirst. Their hunger would have to wait. Sitting down on the ground and getting up proved to become increasingly difficult every time. They were either getting weaker or their wounds from the attack were more severe than they had thought.

“Have you ever fished on a river?” Catelyn asked after a while.

“Only the ponds we have in Winterfell” he replied. “In Summer we used to go swimming and we would take our rods and nets.”

“It reminds me of my own childhood” she longed for her sister and brother, and the times they would spend by the river with their friend Petyr Baelish. “We used to go swimming and rowing and fishing all the time.”

“But we have no boats, no rods and no nets” he lamented.

“No, but we have a fishing hook and a line” she said sticking her hand into her dress and retrieving the hook Theon had gifted her before they left. “The thieves missed it. Their hands were too busy looking elsewhere” she finished not hiding her rage.

“Can you use it?”

“Years ago I could. I haven’t done this in ages”

Jon helped her up and she took her shoes off and her cloak. She stumbled towards the river and tried to stand on the rocks. Her feet were under water and she tried to keep a balance tossing the line into the water and reeling it back. She tried several times with no success. “I’ll try those rocks over there, the water is deeper on that side.” She hopped from one rock to another trying carefully not to fall in the water. Jon wished he could help, but the rock was not big enough for the both of them to stand so he could only watch from the shore as Catelyn tossed the line again and again.

She was about to give up when the line finally tensed and became taut. “I got one” she shouted cheerfully and for a moment Jon thought she sounded like the child she had been remembering so fondly not too long ago. She reeled the line and grabbed the fish. It wasn’t big, but it would do. At least they would have dinner. She started to make her way back to the shore but couldn’t find a balance with her hands full, so she tossed the fish and the hook to Jon. However, the momentum caught her off guard. She stepped on a mossy part of the rock and when she tried to get her footing again she slipped and fell into the water.

Jon watched her hit her head on the rock and disappear under the water. He quickly put aside the freshly caught fish and went to the shoreline to help her out. She was floating but not moving. He stretched his arms to her and brought her to his side. As soon as he lay her on the ground she started stirring and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Lady Catelyn” he called her. “Wake up” he pleaded. Her eyelids fluttered and she was finally able to focus her eyes on him.

“My head” she whispered.

He used his own sleeve to wipe the blood off her temple. “Can you sit up?” He helped her up and they both winced. The pain in their bodies had not subsided after the attack and the effort to walk and move was only making it worse.

His pants were wet up to his knees, but her clothes were soaked through. “You’ll catch a cold in those wet clothes” he noted.

“It’s not like I have a spare dress” she grumbled back.

“No, but you do need to get out of those clothes. I won’t look, but the sun is still up and if I light a fire they will dry sooner.”

“No.”

“Please. What would you do if it was me who had slipped in the water? If it was Robb?”

“Very well” she finally accepted. She grabbed her cloak and crawled to sit behind a tree She struggled to get out of her wet clothes. When she was done, she stretched her arms to give Jon the soaked dress and undershirt. She kept her small clothes and what little remained of her dignity, covered herself with her cloak and stayed out of sight.

Jon quickly hanged the soaked clothes on a branch together with his pants. He then set about the task of lighting a fire. He found it a lot harder than he expected. On the various times he had been out in the wild with Robb and his father, he had had no problems lighting a fire, but he knew the sticks and the stones of the north. He knew which ones he could use and which ones would give a spark. The nature of the Vale was new to him. After various attempts he managed to build a fire and set the clothes closer to the fire so they could dry faster. He told Catelyn to approach so she would not freeze but she adamantly refused. Their new found bond was not strong enough yet for her to be sitting half naked in front of him, he mused. And even though he was worried about her, he was somewhat relieved as well.

He limped back for the long forgotten fish and tried to open it to remove the bones and the skin. But the task proved awfully difficult without a knife. His swollen hand and an eye that would barely open hindered him even more. He was finally able to break the fish with is bare hands and remove the fishbone as best as he could. He skewered it on a stick and held it over the fire until it was done, or at least he hoped it was done. Parts of it looked crispy but the middle still looked too white. Hoping for the best he called for Catelyn but received no reply. Before going to get her, he tried to see if the clothes were dry and to his relief, they were.

He put on his pants and made his way to the tree she had been sitting behind. She appeared to be sleeping, but when he called her name she did not move. He shook her arm lightly, but only received a soft moan in reply. Concerned about her well being, he let is eyes roam over her body. The cloak had slipped slightly to the side and he was shocked to see her skin covered in bruises. He covered her with the cloak again and tried waking her. When she opened her eyes he told her dinner was ready and gave her privacy to get dressed. She joined him by the fire not too long after that.

“I fell asleep. I apologize” she said bringing her hands to the fire.

“Are you cold?” he asked concerned and she nodded in response. “Get yourself warm, the fish is ready. It’s not cook Mager’s but it will have to do” he joked and gave Catelyn a piece of the fish.

“How are you feeling?” he asked pulling a small bone out of his mouth. “I tried to get them all, but I guess I didn’t do a very good job” he shrugged his shoulders in shame.

“You did fine, Jon, this is good” she replied eating the last morsel on her stick.

“You are the one who caught it” he retuned the gesture, flattered by the sudden praise. _She had never praised me before,_ he thought. “How are you feeling?” he repeated.

“Better. Thanks. Still cold, but at least the clothes are dry and you managed to light a fire.”

“Good. Your head?”

“Still hurts” she admitted. “But nothing serious, don’t worry.”

“Nothing serious like all the bruises on your back, your stomach and your ribs?” he challenged her.

“How dare you?” she asked enraged. “Did you spy on me?”

“No, my lady. But when I called for you and you did not answer I became worried. I went behind the tree to get you and saw the state of your body. The cloak had fallen a bit to the side. You’re not well, Lady Catelyn.”

“No” she admitted. “And neither are you. You’re still limping” she noted.

“How much further until your sister’s house?”

“I’m not sure. The few times I have been there we always took a wheelhouse. But we shouldn’t be too far now.”

“Hopefully we’ll be there soon.”

“Jon, if we mean to survive this, we need to be completely honest with each other. I think they may have cracked one of my ribs” she admitted bringing a hand protectively to her side. “My head is still spinning from when I hit the rocks. The rest is trivial, but my cheek still burns. And you?”

“I think my ankle is twisted. It hurts like the devil with every step I take. My stomach is still a mass of black and blue, just like yours. And I‘m still having problems opening my left eye. The cut on my neck is superficial.”

“Good” she nodded. “The night will get cold in the mountains”

“We have the fire” he pointed at the flames.

“We do” she said inching towards him and placing her body next to his. She used her cloak to cover both their bodies and placed his cloak on top of hers. “But the fire won’t be enough.”

Jon heard her say a short prayer before she closed her eyes and started snoring softly. He followed suit not long afterwards.

Another day went by before they could reach the Bloody gate. As they approached they were intercepted by a sentry up in the tower.

“Who wishes to pass the Bloody Gate?” he called.

“It is Lady Catelyn Stark, sister to Lady Lysa Arryn.”

“You are not Lady Catelyn” the guard replied. “Tell me who your are and state your business or I will have you killed” he threatened.

“I am Lady Catelyn, and I don’t believe we have ever met” she replied sternly.

“No, but I know what she looks like. Those tattered rags and that short dark hair do not belong to my lady’s sister. And who is that beggar you brought with you?”

“I assure you I am Lady Catelyn Stark. Let me in and if I’m not her, you will have the pleasure of killing me yourself” she finished defiantly.

After a few minutes of waiting, the gates finally opened. A cart driven by mules was waiting for them with a girl sitting at the front. With her short hair, leather pants and mail shirt, it was difficult to see she was a girl, but her cheerful voice and feminine smile gave her away.

“Name’s Mya Stone and I’ll be taking you to the castle up above” she said beckoning for Jon and Cat to get on the cart. “Hang on tight, the road up the mountains is treacherous. Haven’t lost a passenger yet, wouldn’t want to start now, would I?”

Jon smiled at her and struggled to climb onto the cart with his injured ankle, however hard he tried not to let it show. He then extended his hand to Catelyn, who also winced in pain when her stomach felt the effort.

Catelyn sat at the back while Jon sat behind Mya. Catelyn was looking at the landscape realizing how inhospitable the place was. She wondered how her sister was doing. She had just lost her husband and was now taking shelter in a practically inaccessible place. Was she doing it to hide, to protect her boy or because she felt at home here? Catelyn thought back at when they both married. She never knew why Lysa had been offered to Jon Arryn, an old man, almost as old as their father, when she had been offered to Brandon Stark, a young and dashing candidate. When Brandon died she was then passed on to his younger brother Ned – a fact she resented at the time, but came to be extremely grateful for in the end. Ned was a great and loving husband, except for when .. and she stopped herself before she fell into that train of thought. She took a look at Jon sitting in front of her and shook her head slightly. Her thoughts turned to her sister again. As happy as she had been with Ned eventually, she wondered if her sister had been as fortunate. She had five children to show for, while her sister only had one. She may have been frightened by the enormity and the cold of the north at the beginning, but ended up cherishing it as her own home. Did Lysa feel the same way about the Vale and the mountains?, she wondered.

“So, what’s your name?” Mya asked Jon as she steered the mules.

“J – Jon” he stuttered back.

“So, tell me JoJon, what do you do?”

“I – I .. I’m travelling”

“I see” she shook her head in frustration. “Let me show you how this works. Hello, my name’s Mya and I live here in the Eyrie. How do you do?” she extended her hand to Jon to formally greet him as a playful grin formed up on her lips. When he shook her hand she continued “My job is to take people and things up the mountain into the castle” she waited for him to answer.

“Hello” was all he said.

“Oh, seven hells! Are you always so shy or did you hit your head with a rock when you were a baby?”

“Jon” he said gaining confidence. He shook her hand again and smiled. “My name is Jon.”

“Hello Jon. Mya Stone, at your service” the same playful grin displayed on her face.

“Stone? So you are a b .. a bastard?”

“Yes, does that bother you m’lord?” she asked embarrassed.

“No, no! Of course not! I’m a bastard myself. Jon Snow. At your service” he offered with a smile.

“So, Jon Snow. A bastard from the north. And what are you doing here in the Vale? You said you were travelling?”

“Yes, we are” he replied pointing at Catelyn but refused to add anything else before he gave away information he shouldn’t.

“She your mother” she guessed. “Do you know your father? I never met mine.”

“She’s not my mother. She’s my father’s wife. I live with my father.”

“Oh, strange” was all she said. “So, what do you do, Jon Snow?”

“What do you mean’?”

“What do you do in your house. I work on the road, in this cart. What are your tasks?”

“I .. I don’t have any tasks. We train, we have our lessons, we ..”

“We? Do you have any other bastard brothers?”

“No. Just me. I live with my father’s family.”

“Are you saying that you get to live with your father, his wife and his other sons? You get to train and study with your father and her children” she pointed at Catelyn, “and your father’s wife takes you on a trip? Some bastard you turned out to be Lord Jon Snow” she teased him playfully. “Good for you. At least one of us has to make it big” she laughed and patted him on the back. “I can’t complain, though. I have a good life, a nice house, a fair wage for my work.”

“Good for you” Jon replied feeling somewhat awkward and self-conscious. He wasn’t sure if it was the conversation or the way she smiled at him all the time. She had beautiful blue eyes, an endearing smile and a charming personality. He briefly wondered what she would look like in a dress, but he quickly stopped himself before he embarrassed himself beyond repair.

“Woah, the road is indeed treacherous. You were not lying!” Jon exclaimed after a particularly sharp bend.

“Road’s treacherous, but nothing I can’t handle” she smiled back. “We’re almost there. One more bend and you’re off to see the Lady Lysa”

The castle had looked imposing from the bottom, but up close it just looked terrifying. Built on the mountain itself, the rocky side had actually become a wall. Jon could see the gates and the tall towers, but what impressed him the most was the bottom floor. It showed rooms without a wall! Who would like to sleep there? A room facing a deep cliff with no wall, just a big gaping window into nothingness.

“The sky cells” Mya explained guessing exactly what Jon was looking at. “That’s the first thing people see when they get here. And in many cases, the last” she chuckled. “Most castles have dungeons under ground and prisoners are scared and tortured in all sorts of ways. We don’t need that here. Nature takes care of that” she laughed. “Well, Lord Jon Snow, it was a pleasure. Take care and enjoy your stay. I hope I can be of service again on the way down” she offered kindly as she helped both him and Catelyn down. 

Jon and Catelyn were led up the stairs through the main door into a grand hall. A woman was sitting on the dais waiting for them. She had a boy around Bran’s age on her lap.

“Lysa!” Catelyn cried relieved. “How have you been?” she hugged her sister. “And you must be Robin. You might not remember me, but I’m your aunt Catelyn” she tousled the boy’s hair.

“Catelyn! What are you doing here? Didn’t you get my letter?” Lysa asked coldly.

“Yes, that’s why I’m here. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“Who’s this?” Lysa pointed at Jon.

“This is Jon. My husband’s son” Catelyn replied.

“What are you doing here?” Lysa turned to Jon. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You have ruined my sister’s life with your existence and now have you come to ruin mine? Oh, Cat, if you didn’t want him you should have disposed of him somewhere in the mountains, not bring him here to dump him on me. I won’t take your husband’s unwanted baggage.”

“No!” Catelyn was taken by surprise. She took a look at Jon and saw the guilt painted on his face. She wished he did not have to feel guilty about it. _He has probably felt that way his whole life_ , she thought with a pang in her heart.

“Mord, take him to the sky cells while I talk to my sister” Lysa ordered.

“No, he’s with me and he stays with me” Catelyn said forcefully and stood between Lysa’s man and Jon protectively. “He goes where I go”.

“Alright. It’s your choice, then. So, tell me sister, what brings you here?”

“Mhh … I need you help.” Catelyn looked around and saw that only her sister and her son were there with just a couple of guards. She figured it was as safe a place as any to say what she had to say. “I did receive your letter about your husband’s death. As you may be aware my son Bran had an accident. We discovered the same people were behind it” she said and took a fearful look around her again. “I went to the capital to warn my husband and we had our suspicions confirmed. My husband also learned something else regarding the identity of Robert’s children. Something is about to happen Lysa. Things are not peaceful in the realm. We were going back home to warn my son Robb, but we were attacked on the way. We’re badly hurt Lysa, we really need to see a Maester. And we need your help. We were robbed and stranded here in the mountains. I need to get home to warn Robb but I can’t do in on my own. We are all in danger sister, and we all need to be prepared.”

“Yes, I know we are in danger. What have you and your husband done? Your husband is always getting involved in wars and taking our family down with him. He did that with Robert’s rebellion and now he’s doing it again!”

“What are you saying Lysa?”

“A raven arrived the other day from the King. Your husband has defied the King. He resigned as Hand and escaped the capital taking everything with him. He has spread rumours about the King and the Queen. He has been arrested together with your daughter Arya. The other girl, Sansa, apparently managed to escape. Your family is insulting the royal family and you bring your problems to me!”

“Lysa, that’s not right”

“Yes, it is! You are a wanted person. Your whole family is wanted for treason! You and your husband’s bastard are to be taken to the capital to face justice for forging evidence and presenting false charges against the Queen’s family. Your daughter Sansa is to present herself in court to apologize for escaping royal justice. And your son Robb, current Lord of Winterfell needs to bend the knee to the King and swear fealty. Do you see what you’ve done? I have to either give up my own sister or become an accomplice to treason!”

“Lysa, look. Nobody knows we’re here. Just let us rest and get better. We’re really hurt. As soon as we are well enough we’ll leave the way we came and you won’t be involved, I swear. Please” she begged.

“Alright. For the love I bear you I will allow that. Family Duty Honor, family comes in first. But if you stay too long I will be forced to do my duty” she warned.

“Thank you Lysa. I promise. Just take us to your Maester and in a couple of days, when we are well enough, we’ll be out of your hands.”

“Oh, sister. Your family will take us all to our graves one day!” Lysa exclaimed and hugged Catelyn. She then ordered the guards to take Jon and Catelyn to the Maester. 

“We need to get out of here as soon as possible” Catelyn told Jon the minute they were left alone. “It goes without saying that I did not get the reception I had hoped. We are not safe here. And our family is not safe out there”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll go back to Kings Landing.
> 
> Thanks!


	10. King’s Landing: promises and confessions.

Upon arrival back at the capital Ned had been arrested, separated from his daughter and sent to the dungeons. A couple of days later Robert himself had come to his cell and taken him to a room in the tower of the Hand. It was not his old apartment but a storage room which had been furnished with a bed and a chair. The room was not very big, but at least it had a small window that faced the sea. Not much light came in through the window but it was an improvement from the dungeon he had first been sent to.

"It stinks in here Ned" Robert complained when he entered the small room Ned had been locked in. He eyed the pail at the corner of the room, whose contents were almost at the brim, and grimaced in disgust. 

“I’m not allowed to leave and your guards don’t clean my chamber pot every day. If the stink bothers you, Your Grace, I apologize. I guess the Hand shits as well, but nobody wipes” Ned replied barely restraining his rage. 

“I could always send you back to the dungeons if you prefer. You will get a much more personalized service from my guards” the King retorted with a not so subtly veiled threat.

“How’s my daughter?” Ned asked visibly concerned.

“She’s fine Ned. I had her go back to her old apartments in this very tower. She doesn’t know you’re here, before you ask. But for her it’s as if she had never left. Myrcella has been very friendly with her.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“I called her dancing master back. She really loves those dancing lessons” he said with a knowing smile.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Ned, stop it. We’re friends, for fuck’s sake” he replied frustrated. He sat on the small wooden chair and looked at Ned. “What happened to you calling me Robert?”

“It stopped when you had me arrested.”

“Well, you did flee the city.”

“I had resigned. And you told me to get out of your sight!”

“I was angry Ned. I was angry and I reacted. You know my temper. How many times did you have to help me out of a brawl? How many times did you have to smooth things over for me with a disgruntled husband? How many times did you have to cover for me with Jon Arryn?

“More than I can count” Ned chuckled, the shared memories coming back to his mind.

“Ned, we need to fix this. We’ve had peace for ten years now. I may be a shitty king, but I hold the realm together.”

“Agreed” Ned nodded. “That we need to fix this, that we have had peace, and that you are a shitty king” he laughed and Robert soon joined him in a loud guffaw.

“What are we going to do Ned?”

“What are our options? Your wife and her brother pushed my son through a window. Your other good brother sent an assassin after him later on. They were also involved in Jon Arryn’s murder.”

“Do you know all that for sure?”

“We have proof, Robert!”

“Not proof, Ned. You have Jon’s widow’s letter implicating the Lannisters, but we don’t even know which one. For all we know, it could be one of those useless nephews my wife has. They are so many they appear to grow on trees!” they laughed. “The knife? I don’t know Ned. Are you sure it belongs to Tyrion? There are so many possibilities. It could be mine for all I know. Who’s going to remember what all the blades look like?”

“Baelish said so.”

“Pff. Baelish! Gods, I hate that man. For some reason Jon trusted that little worm and dumped him on me. I can’t complain, though, he’s good with his numbers and always gets me the money I need. I don’t always want to know where he gets it from, though.”

“For entirely different reasons I don’t like him either, but Catelyn does and she trusts him, and I trust her.”

“Do you think he banged her?”

“Gods Robert, no!” he exclaimed enraged. “Cat is better than that, and you know it.”

“Yeah, your wife never would. You lucked out there. I should have been family to you Ned. She should have been mine” he lamented thinking about Ned’s sister.

“But it wasn’t to be” Ned shook his head lightly.

“Arya reminds me of her, you know. She’s a fine young girl. Just keep an eye on her, she seems wilful.”

“I thought you admired wilful girls.”

“But look how they end up” he sighed. “I’m taking care of her for you Ned. Don’t worry about Arya. She’s mostly oblivious to what’s going on. She asks about you all the time.”

“Can I see her?”

“Not yet. We need to fix this so you can go home.”

“You’re the King, Robert, only you can fix this.”

“Yes, but you openly defied me. If I let you go unpunished it will set bad precedent.”

“What will you have me do? Do you want to flog me in public for telling the truth?”

“No, but you could make a public apology abjuring your claims. Say you were confused and distraught over the well being of your son.”

“Would you want for me to lie?”

“Not lie. Just keep your unconfirmed and yet-to-be-proven suspicions to yourself. And find that wife of yours and the bastard. They have disappeared and no one knows where they are. Now I know where your daughter gets her spirit from, it definitely does not come from you!” he teased his friend.

“So I just go to court, apologize to your snivelling lickspittles, as you called them, beg forgiveness to your wife, and forget about the whole issue? Forget it was them that killed Jon Arryn and tried to kill my child as well? Is that what you want?”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

“That’s a travesty and it’s dishonourable every way you look at it. I can’t do that, Robert.”

“Yes, you can, and you will. Or your family will end up paying the consequences. Not just your family, the whole realm. As I said, I may be a shitty King, but I am the King and I hold the realm together. Nothing has disturbed my peace in years. The Greyjoys tried and I squashed them. I will do the same with anyone else who dares disturb the realm. Honour is not just about telling the truth Ned, it’s about doing the right thing at the right time. Sometimes honour involves sacrifices for the greater good. If you can’t see that, then I can’t help you. But as your King, I can still force you.”

They looked at each other for the longest time, each wanting to silently convince the other. Before he left the room, Robert turned to his friend. “I’ll leave you to it, Ned. Think about it” he breathed out in frustration. He kicked the pail on his way out spilling the foul contents all over the floor. Mumbling all sorts of curses he stormed out of the room leaving a pensive Ned behind.

.

.

.

“My husband thinks an apology is all it will take” Cersei complained to her brother Tyrion. “They drag my name through the mud and implicate me in crimes I have not committed. And he thinks that a simple sorry will do it. He clearly does not care about what I may feel. He hasn’t in years.”

“I wonder why, since you’ve been such a lovingly devoted wife.”

“You can shove your childish sarcasm. You think funny words and witty lines can get you out of anything, don’t you? You and your superior morality. _Oh, I’m just a dwarf, people don’t like, but I’m so smart_ ” she mocked him.

“I am smart” he retorted.

“Last I heard you were just a drunk whoremonger who tried to kill an innocent kid by sending an assassin to murder him in his sleep. Even if Stark takes the charges back, do you think people will just forget about it? Our name is soiled. An apology will not remove the stain, Tyrion.”

“What do you want to do? Kill Stark?”

“Don’t tempt me. I would kill the man and his meddlesome wife if I could.”

“Nobody has seen her and the bastard since they left the capital” Tyrion noted.

“Maybe they got eaten by wolves, maybe they were attacked by thugs, maybe they got lost and ended up in the sweltering heat of the Dornish desert and are dying of thirst as we speak”

“Oh, wouldn’t it be convenient for you if they were to disappear?”

“What are you implying, you worm?”

“Nothing, I’m just saying it would really be in your best interest if they were silenced for good.”

“Convenient for me? And what about you? You were the one accused of murder. You think I had something to do with their disappearance?” she shook her head in anger.

“No, not really” he shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “But maybe an apology by Stark will be a step in the right direction. The other direction is war, and you know it.”

“So to avoid war I am supposed to let the people who soiled my name walk away unpunished?”

“Well, not unpunished. He will have his own name tainted by false accusations against the Queen. You can make it look like he did all that to gain power and that _you_ are the gracious person here by granting him pardon.”

“You and your talent to twist words” she smiled. “An apology can just as easily become an admission of guilt.”

“Accept it Cersei. Our family name has always had that touch of, how shall I put it, mhh tainted reputation. Here you have the chance to look like the victim of a foul conspiracy and to turn the honourable Starks into lying ambitious hypocrites.”

“Which is what they are” she added.

“True, to a certain degree. But that’s not what most people think.”

“They come into our home and spread lies about us and get to walk away. All because my good for nothing husband wants to be a Stark. He should have just married Eddard and be done with it. _Oh, Eddard would have given me beautiful children_ ” she scoffed.

“So what about your beautiful children?” he suddenly turned serious. “Whose are they?”

“Does it matter? The law says they are Robert’s and that Joffrey is his rightful heir.”

“Cersei?”

“Tyrion?”

“Are they?”

“No. Does it make a difference to you?” she challenged.

“No” he replied noncommittally. “So Stark was not lying after all.”

“Not about that. But we had nothing to do with Jon Arryn’s death and the assassin sent after the Stark boy.”

“And the boy’s fall?” Tyrion prodded. There was a long uncomfortable silence.

“He saw us. He saw Jaime and I up in the tower.”

“When I last saw him, he didn’t remember a thing.”

“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

“So we just hope he doesn’t remember you pushed him, Stark says he was confused and we had nothing to do with Arryn’s death and the cat’s paw that went for the boy. Our name is cleared, Stark name is stained. You get to keep your three beautiful royal children and we all live happily ever after”

“I suppose. I still want them to pay.”

“Be careful what you wish for, sweet sister.”

.

.

.

The Court Room was packed with all those Lords Ned never had the patience to get to know. They all looked at him with contempt and mistrust. He scanned the room trying to look for the one familiar face he cared about. She was standing next to Myrcella and Tommen. Robert had been true to his word. She was unharmed and safe. Above the roaring murmur echoing in the hall, Ned smiled at his daughter and she returned the smile.

“I believe Lord Stark has something he would like to tell the court” King Robert shushed everybody into silence.

“My King, My Queen” Ned stared kneeling in front the royal couple. “Members of the court, there is something I need to say. I admit to having wronged the Queen and her family unfairly” and the whispers started echoing again.

“Silence” Robert roared.

“I had confusing reports that involved the Lannister family in the death of the previous Hand, Jon Arryn, but those reports turned out to be false. Jon Arryn died of a fever due to his advanced age.”

Ned looked at Cersei and she motioned for him to continue.

“I also had confusing reports that the Queen and her brother had sired the three children who stand here before us, but that also turned out to be untrue. There can be no doubt in my mind that Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen’s father can be no other man but our King Robert.”

“And Joffrey is without a doubt my rightful heir” Robert added.

“Absolutely, Your Grace” Ned affirmed. “There was also a confusion about an unfortunate accident my son had. Overcome by grief and desperate to find solace I mistakenly thought the Lannister family had been involved. But it became very clear they hadn’t. My son slipped and fell due to his carelessness. After that, a robber thought he might take advantage of the confusion that surrounded my house at the time and decided to break into my son’s room, only to be discovered by my wife. No further harm has come to my son, who has fortunately woken up after his grievous accident.”

“I am certainly glad your son is recovering, Lord Stark” Cersei said politely.

“I would like to add that the Queen’s family has been nothing but gracious and supportive, as can be evidenced by how they took care of my daughter while I was otherwise occupied” he gestured at Arya standing with Myrcella.

“Well, with nothing else to be added I believe we can bring this unfortunate matter to an end” Robert concluded wanting nothing else but to put the whole mess behind him. “Lord Eddard Stark, you are hereby relieved of your position as Hand of the King. You are invited to return to your home with your daughter. I am glad to announce this whole mess was only a matter of a simple misunderstanding by distraught parents. You need to be more careful in the future with the accusations you make, Lord Stark.”

“Yes, Your Grace, I apologize. Thank you.”

“You’re free to go Ned” Robert signalled.

“And Lady Stark?” Cersei asked.

“I have yet to receive news of my wife” Ned answered tentatively.

“I believe both her and your bastard need to publicly denounce their claims as well” she continued. “The girl is welcome to enjoy our hospitality until your wife comes to publicly apologize, like you have just done.”

“Your Grace?” Ned asked confused by the sudden turn of events.

“Nah, that won’t be necessary. Just make sure your wife and your bastard boy take all the charges back and apologize to my wife and her family in writing. There’s no need for anyone to take such a long trip” Robert replied dismissively.

“As you wish, Your Grace” Ned finished and sent an optimistic smile to his daughter.

Ned and his daughter spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave. She understood perfectly well what had just happened.

“You lied in front of everyone to save us, father.”

“That I did, but you can’t tell anyone. I don’t like this Arya, any more than you do, but sometimes you need to lie and keep the truth for the greater good.”

“I understand father. Don’t worry. What matters is that we’ll be alright. Mother and Jon will come home. Bran is getting better and soon we will all go back to our lives”

Ned hugged his daughter but didn’t have the heart to tell her he had no idea where her mother and Jon were and that Bran would probably never walk again. Their lives might never go back to what they were before.

.

.

.

“You think the woman and the bastard will send their letter?” Cersei asked her husband.

“They will.”

“And that’s it then. They lie about us, about your children, and you will just let them walk away” she said derisively. “Sometimes I wonder which one is really the fair sex.”

“Cersei, they didn’t lie about my children” he said sternly. “They didn’t lie about Bran’s fall. I have no idea who sent the assassin or what really happened to Jon Arryn. But I’m not discarding any options.”

“Then punish us, execute me if you’re so sure!” she challenged.

“I will do no such thing. Nobody has anything to gain by pursuing this matter forward. And nobody will do absolutely anything.”

“What makes you so sure?” she challenged back.

“If the Starks insist on these charges they will look like fools. They say one thing, they can’t back it up with proof, then they say something else, they flee, they evade justice. Their actions are too erratic for anyone to take them seriously. Ned put the whole realm and his precious north at risk for a personal vendetta. His people may not appreciate it if he endangers them again. I’ll make sure of that. So he will keep his mouth shut.”

“For our sake I hope he does.”

“Still, I gave Ned my assurance that for as long as I live, if he does not bring this matter up again, nothing will happen to them. You may think that my life may not be that long. And you may be right. So I gave Ned a document admitting that all their claims were true to be used in the event I meet an unfortunate end” he tested his wife. “So you see, it is in everybody’s best interest that I live long and prosper. Stark will keep his mouth shut or I will make sure his family suffers the consequences and the North rises up against them. Your family will keep their mouths shut and pray that I die peacefully of old age so Joffrey can become king after me, because if I don’t, Ned will come forward with the truth. I know your father. He is a proud man and is probably unhappy with all these rumours tainting his precious name. But he is also a smart man and he knows what’s best for his family. He knows that if anything happens to me or Ned’s family, his legacy is ruined.”

“So you have everything sorted out. You played us all” she said barely keeping her rage under control.

“I may be a shitty king, Cersei, but I know what’s best for the kingdom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to the end now ...   
> So, Robert has got it all figured out ...


	11. Winterfell: Coming Home.

Catelyn and Jon were slowly getting healthier and stronger at the Eyrie. She had wanted to send a raven to her family to let them know they were fine, but Lysa had adamantly refused. She was afraid the message might fall in the wrong hands and the Vale might be involved in a conflict she would rather avoid. “I let you stay here to heal out of courtesy, but you can’t endanger my house and my son any more than you already have” she had said.

“We need to leave as soon as we can” Catelyn told Jon. “How’s your foot?”

“The Maester bandaged it. He gave me a walking cane and told me to stay off the ground for the time being.”

“Your face is getting better” she noted pointing at the eye which was slowly coming back to its usual size.

“Yes. And you, my Lady? Your ribs?”

“I had a broken rib, but it has since been bandaged tightly” she took her hand to her stomach and patted the bandage under her dress. “As long as I don’t make any sudden moves, it should be healing nicely.” The bruises on her face had also started to fade and the Maester had stitched the long gash on her cheek. “It will probably leave an ugly scar” she said touching it lightly with her finger.

“Can we leave now?”

“Yes, I was just on my way to see my sister but I wanted to see you first.”

They left Jon’s chambers together and made their way down the hall to Lysa’s solar. But she was not there when they arrived. However, what they did find was an array of letters on her desk.

“These are new” Catelyn noted looking at the dates. “From the capital. This one is from Petyr”

“This one has Lord Stark’s name on it!” Jon suddenly exclaimed.

Catelyn grabbed the letter and quickly placed it on the desk again. She looked around and motioned for Jon to be quiet. Silently she rushed to the door and closed it behind her. Then they set themselves to the task of inspecting the letters.

“Lord Stark has been sent to the dungeons accused of treason” Jon read, he was still uncomfortable calling him father in front of his wife. “Awaiting trial, it says”

“This one is from Petyr, it says their plans are coming to fruition and that no one suspects” she read. “What is he talking about? It makes reference to a previous letter” she said going through the desk with her hands. “It’s got to be here.”

“If it’s old, your sister may have saved it somewhere else” Jon suggested.

“But where?” Catelyn wondered as her eyes scanned the room.

“Here’s another message from the King. It’s addressed to all the Lords in the realm. It mentions us” Jon said raising his eyes. Catelyn motioned for him to read. “Lady Catelyn Stark and the bastard known as Jon Snow are fugitives of the Royal Justice. You are hereby requested to surrender any information you may have regarding their whereabouts or to hold them should they happen to be within your reach.”

“My sister is protecting us” Catelyn said.

“Or holding us” Jon countered.

Catelyn looked at Jon and closed her eyes. “Family Duty Honor. Family comes first” she tried to convince herself. “What could she have done with Petyr, I wonder” she continued searching.

“Here’s a box with more letters, Lady Catelyn” Jon said opening a small wooden chest covered in blue silk and held closed by a leather clasp.

“I can’t believe she still keeps it!” Catelyn cried excitedly. “Petyr and I made it for her twelfth name day” she smiled at the memory. “Petyr. That’s probably where she keeps his letters” she said and inched closer to Jon. They started to quickly go through the contents of the letters. 

“tears of Lys will do it” …

“just a few drops, your husband’s an old man” …

“then we can be together, just like we have always wanted” …

“send the letter to your sister” …

“told Cat the knife was Tyrion Lannister’s” …

“Cat and her husband will accuse the Lannisters” …

“Lord Stark has played right into our hands” …

“don’t worry, Cat will be safe as always. I’ll take good care of her” …

“if we go to war, I promise I will marry you and protect you” …

“nothing will happen to our son” …

“our sweet Robin will be Lord of the Vale” …

“marry our son to the princess” … 

“your sister’s husband has left the city” …

“I have the Queen’s ear” …

“Lord Stark has been apprehended” …

Catelyn was at a loss. She couldn’t believe what she had just found out. Jon felt for her. Betrayal by your own kin was the worst kind of betrayal. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel to find out his brothers or his father had lied to him and used him. Gently he urged her to move and guided a still stunned Catelyn out of the solar.

“We need to leave now, Lady Catelyn. I believe we are in danger here and I believe our family is in danger as well” he pushed and momentarily regretted his slip. _Our family,_ he had said _. I’m not sure she will appreciate me calling myself her family,_ he feared _._

“Our family” she echoed, and for a moment he stopped breathing. “You are right. Our family is in danger and so are we.”

They sought Lysa and thanked her for her hospitality.

“I am glad to see you back on your feet and getting healthy, dear sister”

“We really appreciate it, Lysa. Family above anything” Catelyn smiled politely at her.

“I thank you, my Lady” Jon said nodding in courtesy.

“If my sister considers you her family, then I’m not one to question her wishes” she said not hiding her contempt. “There was a time when she despised you.”

“Lysa” Catelyn changed the tone of the conversation “we’ll be leaving today. You have done so much for us, I’ll never forget it. I’m sorry if we put you in danger”

“Don’t mention it. I have arranged for you to be taken to the Bloody Gate. Once there, you are on your own. I can’t afford to be seen to help fugitives escape. You mustn’t tell anyone who you are or that you came from the Eyrie. You should do your hair colouring again.”

This time Jon shaved his head completely and Catelyn dyed her hair black. Their own clothes in tatters, Lysa offered to lend them new ones. However, they opted for simpler, worn out clothes to avoid prying eyes.

When they were ready to get on the cart, Jon was surprised to hear the cheery voice of Mya Stone again. “Hello Lord Jon Snow. Told you we would meet again.”

Mya took them down the road to the Bloody Gate as promised and after that Jon and Catelyn found themselves alone on the road again. Lysa had arranged for two horses to be given to them, so their march would not be as arduous as their previous journey. Catelyn still found it painful to move and Jon still had difficulty with his leg, so mounting horses was a welcome change to walking.

Just like before, they kept themselves out of sight as much as possible and stopped at inns along the way with the money Lysa had provided them.

“Are you alright, Lady Catelyn? You seem distracted” Jon asked her when they had stopped for supper. Catelyn raised her eyes from the bowl of soup in front of her and waited for the waitress to walk away before she replied.

“Yes. I’m just thinking. My sister … “ she trailed.

“I’m sorry you had to find out about that” he offered.

“She was behind everything. She and Petyr. And I trusted them!” she cried. Jon wanted to provide some words of comfort but found he didn’t really have anything to say. He just put his hand on hers across he table. He was pleasantly surprised when she took it and squeezed it back. “Some trip this has turned out to be” she smiled sadly at him.

“Yes, we should buy Robb a souvenir to thank him.”

“Don’t make me laugh” she tried to stifle a chuckle. “It still hurts.”

They continued their way into the North and started to notice the change in temperature and the landscape.

“I missed the cold” Jon commented.

“I do now. But for years I yearned for the warmth of the Riverlands.”

“I should like to visit it one day” he said fearing he had taken a step too long. When she didn’t scold him he continued. “All your stories about your childhood and how much fun you had in the rivers have made me curious.”

“We might, one day” she offered. “I’m sure your brothers and sisters would love to go” and he didn’t miss the way she had emphasized the words brothers and sisters. “But first we need to get home and make sure they are all safe” her voice turned grave again.

Truth be told, they had not had any news about the rest of the family in weeks. They did not know how Robb was faring in Winterfell. They didn’t know if Bran had finally awoken. She prayed he had, because if he hadn’t by now … and she didn’t even want to consider the possibility. She thought of Rickon and how he must be missing her. They knew that Arya had been arrested with Ned, but had not had any news regarding Sansa. Had she managed to make it back home safely when Ned was arrested? Ned and Arya were still prisoners. How were they going to get them back? Not having news of her family was tearing her apart.

With horses and money in their pockets, the trip back home was easier and faster. They quickly made their way past the Neck. They rode by the ruins of Moat Cailin and Catelyn was proud to notice all the activity. Apparently Ned’s instructions had reached Robb and he had followed orders. Some days later they found themselves near castle Cerwin and the walls of Winterfell soon came into view. _Home,_ they both thought relieved _._

“Who goes there?” the guard at the entrance asked.

“It is Lady Stark and Jon Snow” they answered but knew that their disguised appearances would make it hard for the guard to recognize them.

“No, you are not. Go back where you came from” he said unsheathing his sword.

“No need for that” Catelyn raised her hands in surrender and Jon mimicked her actions.

“Is Lord Robb Stark in?” Jon asked.

“What’s it to you?” the guard retorted.

“Call him” Catelyn suggested. “He’ll recognize us.”

“Wait over there” the guard pointed at a trunk on the ground quite a few meters away from the gate and turned around to talk to his companion.

Jon and Catelyn waited as instructed until they saw the gate open again. They were thrilled to see Robb come to greet them.

“Mother, Jon!” he cried. “We were so worried! Where have you been? What’s with your hair?” he asked putting his palm on Jon’s shaved scalp and fingering his mother’s short dark curls.

“Long story, Robb” his mother hugged him.

The first thing Catelyn did when she walked in was to rush up the stairs to Bran’s room. She opened the door with trepidation but her heart almost broke when he saw the empty bed. She broke down on the floor sobbing.

“Mother, you’re back” she heard and turned around.

“Bran! Rickon! Sansa!” she cried when she saw her children. “I have missed you so much!” she brought Rickon into her arms. “Look at you. You are awake” she said looking at Bran. “You are home” she continued looking at Sansa who was pushing a strange chair Bran was sitting on. Sansa rolled Bran’s chair to where her mother was kneeling with Rickon and helped him to the floor. Catelyn was able to embrace her children at the same time. She looked up and felt a surge of repressed relief when she saw Robb and Jon share a brotherly hug.

“It’s good to have you back mother, but we need to talk. Why don’t you and Jon retire to your chambers, freshen up and then we can meet for supper?”

“Arrange for supper to be taken to my room. For all of us” she motioned including Jon much to the surprise of her children.

Jon never though he would be so happy to return home again. He took a nice warm bath and applied water to his itching scalp. He longed for his hair to grow again. After he got dressed he readied himself to go into Lady Stark’s chambers, _Catelyn’s chambers_ , he corrected himself and smiled inwardly. How many times as a child had he prayed for the chance to be welcome in her room? When he arrived he knocked on the door softly and waited for permission to come in. It was Sansa who opened the door and allowed him in offering him a glass of juice. Supper had already been served and apparently they had started without him.

He made his way to the table and helped himself to some buttered bread. He noticed Rickon was napping on his mother’s lap. Bran was sitting on that strange chair with wheels Sansa had been rolling earlier. Theon quickly went over to him to pat him in the back and welcome him home. There was another man in the room he didn’t recognize.

“Jon, this is my uncle, Brynden” Catelyn introduced him.

“My Lord” Jon greeted him.

“Jon” he shook his hand. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My niece tells me you were a great help these past few moons.”

“Are you the one who taught her how to fish?” Jon asked and was met with a loud guffaw coming from the big man.

“I wonder what kind of stories my niece has been spreading about me.”

“Only good ones Uncle,” she was quick to answer, “only good ones.” And that set the mood for a light hearted chat as they sat and shared a good time around the fire.

After supper was over, Catelyn herself took Rickon to his room while Jon rolled Bran to his. He was well enough to partake in most family activities but he tired easily. Sansa offered to help him get ready for bed. Soon it was only Robb, Sansa, Jon, Theon and Brynden Tully who met back in Ned’s solar.

“Robb, would you please tell Jon what you were just telling me?” Catelyn prompted.

“A few days after you both left Bran woke up” Robb began “he was fine, but he could not use his legs” he sent his mother a sad smile. “Then Lord Tyrion stopped by. At the time we didn’t know if it was him who had sent the assassin after Bran, but we certainly knew his family was involved. We were courteous enough not to draw suspicion, but he didn’t stay long. What he did do, however, was provide Maester Luwin with the sketch for a contraption that would help Bran ride horses. Maester Luwin built the contraption, and then based on the same design Nokes at the forge was able to fashion a chair with wheels.”

“That’s good” Catelyn smiled.

“Then we had no news for weeks until we received word Father had been arrested.”

“That was after I met with him” Catelyn interjected. “When we arrived at the capital we were met by some men in the port. They said a friend of mine had sent them. Pertyr Baelish”

“Nothing good comes out of that man” Brynden Tully spat.

“I met him” Sansa smiled. “He was a charming man, he said he knew you.”

“Yes, he knew me. But he’s not nearly as charming as he pretends to be. He is the one that told me the dagger belonged to Tyrion Lannister.”

“We should have had him executed when he stopped here!” Robb exclaimed.

“Good thing you didn’t. We later found the information to be a ruse” she looked at her uncle and shook her head pursing her lips. “So, believing Lord Tyrion to be behind the assassination attempt,” she resumed “I met with your father. That’s when he put me up to speed with other findings. None of Robert’s children are his. They are all the product of Cersei with her brother Jaime.”

“Father told Arya and I as much when we left the capital. He had had a row with the king and resigned as Hand” Sansa explained. “We took a ship back home but we were ambushed in White Harbour.

“I’m surprised Lord Manderly allowed Ned to be apprehended in his city” Catelyn noted.

“Lord Manderly said the men had arrived two days before we did and carried a royal document about some shipment going to Bravos.”

“How much do you trust this Lord Manderly?” a suspicious Brynden Tully asked.

“Enough” Catelyn quickly replied. “He is a loyal bannerman” she told her uncle and he nodded in acceptance.

“He was taken by surprise just as much as we were” Sansa continued. “Father and Arya were apprehended, but Jory managed to get Septa Mordane and I to safety and brought us here. Lord Manderly immediately pledged his support.”

“We were at the Eyrie when we heard of that” Catelyn said.

“You met with Lysa? How is she doing?” her uncle asked. “Why didn’t you send a raven? Everybody was so worried about you!”

“Lysa had received letters saying Jon and I were wanted criminals. She feared any message she sent might fall in the wrong hands and it would bring unwanted attention to the Vale.”

“Yeah, we received that letter too” Robb said. “We had a letter saying father had been arrested together with Arya and that you two were fugitives” he pointed at Jon and Catelyn.

“If you were in King’s Landing, why didn’t you see Arya and I?” Sansa voiced a question that had been plaguing her for weeks.

“I wish I could have my sweetling, but it wasn’t safe” Catelyn explained regret etched on her face and she was unable to continue.

“I did see you” Jon volunteered. “While your mother met with Lord Baelish, she tasked me with checking on you. We wanted to make sure you two were alright. She worried about you” Jon wanted to make sure Sansa did not resent her mother.

“Oh” Sansa was surprised. “I didn’t see you.”

“No, I was hiding” he smiled.

“So what happened after you left King’s Landing?” Brynden prompted trying to get the conversation back to the point.

“We were trying to make our way back here but we were sidetracked” Catelyn offered not wanting to divulge all the details of their journey. “We were robbed and had nowhere to go so we realized the Eyrie was the closest place.”

“Of course, your sister would help you”

“Yes” she said and took a deep breath. “She was worried Jon and I were putting her in danger, but she allowed us to stay for a few days until we got better”

“Better from what?” Robb asked concerned.

“Nothing” Catelyn quickly waved her hands in a dismissive gesture. “Until we had rested” she quickly added. “And that’s when we found out the truth.”

“What truth?”

“We found correspondence between her and Peryt Baelish”

“That name again” Bryden spat.

“Apparently the Lannisters were not behind Jon Arryn’s death as she had told me in that letter. It was Petyr and her. They conspired to poison Jon Arryn and laid the blame on the Lannisters. Another letter also mentioned how Petyr had lied to me about the dagger and how Ned was falling into their plot. They also mentioned that Robin is not Jon’s but Petyr’s” she trailed looking at her uncle.

“We left right after we found that information” Jon came to Catelyn’s rescue when she felt too overwhelmed to finish her story. “Lady Lysa never found out what we had learned. She gave us money and horses and bid us farewell. On the way here we noticed many of the towns had been armed and that you sent men to Moat Cailin” Jon turned to Robb.

“Those were father’s instructions. Jory told me to do so when he arrived here with Sansa after father was arrested in White Harbour. For weeks I have been in the dark about what was going on with my family. Not knowing if you were alive or dead. Many times I wanted to call the banners and march to King’s Landing and face the King myself. Maester Luwin had to talk me out of it. He said us marching in would only warrant father’s death.”

“Wise man Maester Luwin. The last time a Lord Stark went south to challenge a King, things did not play out so well” said Catelyn.

“Following father’s instructions I warned all the banners to be ready for action just in case. I also realized we needed allies outside the North, so I wrote to my grandfather. Theon went in person to relay all the information we had.”

“Riverrun is ready for action” Brynden Tully said. “If it should come to war to free Lord Eddard, we will be ready.”

“But the Lannisters are not guilty of everything we had thought they were. They didn’t send the assassin after Bran and didn’t kill Jon Arryn” Sansa noted.

“No, they didn’t. That was my sister” Catelyn countered concerned. “But I’m sure the Queen and her brother did push Bran out the window to hide their illicit affair and the King still holds my husband prisoner” she added with more determination.

“So what shall we do?” Robb posed the question to the room.

Silence and uncertainty hanged in the air.


	12. Winterfell: The end of a long journey.

There was an atmosphere of uncertainty in the air in Winterfell. On the one hand both Lady Catelyn and Jon had returned after their long journey. But on the other hand Lord Stark and his daughter Arya were still being held by the King. Robb was ready to call the banners and march south and he had to be convinced not to by his mother and Jon. _Let’s wait to see if the King sends instructions,_ Maester Luwin had insisted. _If we march south it will be war,_ his mother had warned. _We can’t just call the banners and attack the capital if we don’t know what’s going on,_ Jon had reasoned. But Robb wanted nothing more but to do just that. He decided to give the king a week before he sprang into action. Jon would be the easiest one to convince, he thought.

“If we don’t get a raven within the next seven days, we’re marching to the capital.”

“And what will we achieve?” Jon questioned him.

“I don’t know. But I can’t just sit here while my father and sister are in danger!” he sounded desperate.

“I share the sentiment, Robb, believe me. But attacking the capital will only endanger them even more. The minute the king and queen get wind we’re marching, their lives are forfeit. Give it a week.”

“Have you been talking to my mother? That’s exactly what she said!”

“Well, I guess we think alike, then” Jon shrugged his shoulders.

“So you and my mother,” he nudged Jon with is elbow. “What’s your story?”

“What story?” Jon countered back.

“You and her. Telling jokes, finishing each other’s stories, smiling over supper, agreeing on almost everything.”

“Wasn’t it you who told us to get over our petty resentment?”

“Well, yes, I just never expected .. this” he said uncertain how to express what he was feeling. “What happened?”

“Nothing, just a long journey.”

The horn sounded at the wall and Robb quickly climbed to the battlements. In the distance he could see a small host of soldiers approaching bearing the Baratheon sigil. “Get the archers! Arm the soldiers!” he instructed.

As the army got close, a lone rider approached the gate. Robb himself walked out to meet him.

“Ser Morrisey” he introduced himself. “We bring word from the King to Lord Robb Stark.”

“That’s me. Did you need an army to bring me word? Where’s my father?”

“Your father is with us. If will you allow us in.”

“Show me” Robb did not trust the man.

Ser Morrisey turned and gestured to his companions. Four figures started to ride closer: a soldier carrying the Baratheon standard, another soldier, a man flanked between them and a shorter man walking behind him. Upon closer inspection Robb’s heart missed a beat.

“Father! Arya!” he yelled. “Open the gates!” he instructed.

Robb led his father and sister into the yard and welcomed the Baratheon men.

“Lord Stark, welcome home” he told his father. “Winterfell is yours”

The family enjoyed a meal all together like they hadn’t done in a long time. They shared their experiences and told one another everything that had happened. Ned observed how everyone was in good spirits and watched as his children were all playing and chatting lively. He leaned over to his wife and whispered sweet words with a promise of a long romantic night in private. Life was looking up again.

Before he retired for the night, Ned went to his son Jon’s room.

“Jon, I meant to talk to you” Ned told his son. “You risked your life for my family and me.”

“They are my family, too.”

“I know, son. I’m proud of you” he reassured him. “And I know you had a long journey with my wife.”

“I did father.”

“And, how did it go?” he prompted.

“It was alright. We ran into some issues on the road, but nothing we couldn’t handle”

“And my wife?” he asked fearful of the answer.

“She was a fine travelling companion. She is very brave and resourceful. Did you know she could fish without a rod, just using a hook and a line?”

“No” Ned replied confused. “What happened to your hair?”

“We had to hide. At first I coloured it a lighter shade of brown and then I just shaved it off completely.”

Ned was puzzled about the new state of affairs between his son and his wife but decided to cherish it instead of prying further into it.

Catelyn took the chance to talk to her uncle before he left back for Riverrun.

“Family Duty Honor” she started. “We’ve always lived by those words. Everything I have ever done has been for my family, doing my duty and preserving honour. What has Lysa got herself into?” 

“She has always been easily manipulated. That worm Baelish preyed on her weakest instincts.”

“But she lied Uncle. She lied to me, her family! She sent me on a path that could have led to the death of my husband and my children. Family!”

“I know Sweetling, I know” he said and squeezed her shoulders.

“She’s still in Petyr’s clutches. He will show up at the Eyrie and they will marry. He will control her and take over the Vale for her.”

“I’ll go. I’ll see what I can do for her. I’ll protect her.”

“Thank you uncle. I know you will.”

“You put too much faith in me” he teased her sweetly.

“Don’t tell father. It will break his heart.”

“We’ll keep this a secret. For now at least.”

“If the truth gets out, Lysa’s head will be on a spike.”

“Let’s stop our words at Family for now then. Let’s leave Duty and Honor for another time” he joked.

“I told my husband and he agrees to keep it a secret. Apparently we are all keeping lots of secrets to maintain the peace.”

Ned and his wife met in their chamber later than night.

“So I hear you had an interesting journey in the south” he said playing with her hair short dark hair.

“You could say that” she replied. 

“I wish I could say I like it, but ... I truly miss my long red flocks” he shook his head.

“It will grow. But for now you have a woman with short dark hair and an ugly scar on her face.”

“Never ugly”

“Marred face, marred hands …” she trailed biting her lips not to add _and almost soiled_ to her list.

“So, tell me about Jon. What happened with him?”

“Nothing happened. We took a journey together.”

“Cat, everyone has noticed. You look at each other, you smile at each other.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I asked him. He said nice things about you.”

“I have nice things to say about him, too.”

“Mh”

“Look Ned, we talked, we expressed things we felt, we had to rely on each other and we both survived because the other one was there.”

“What happened? He mentioned running into issues on the road but would not elaborate.” 

“Nothing serious.”

“I’m listening” he gestured for her to talk.

“We were attacked, we were robbed, we got lost.”

“You were attacked? By whom?”

“Just some robbers.”

“Were you hurt?”

“No. A bit, nothing serious” she lied. _They pummelled Jon’s face and almost broke his ankle. They almost raped me, beat me up and left me with a broken rib. Oh, and before that, he vomited all over me on the ship and I had to take care of him. We froze half to death, we starved together, and I hit my head in the river and would have drowned if he hadn’t saved me._

“Good” he replied visibly relieved.

“There’s something you should know, though. It’s about Jon” she started but immediately shushed her husband when she saw anxiety reflected on his face. “Nothing bad. It’s just that he’s worried.”

“About what?”

“His future. He doesn’t seem to think you will provide for him. He knows we will take care of our children’s future, but he’s concerned about his. You should clear this up with him.”

“I will” he promised. “I’ll talk to him. Tomorrow. And tomorrow we’ll deal with those damn letters Robert wants us to write” he added. “For now I have other plans” he said patting the bed gesturing for her to come. “Much better than that bed in Baelish’s brothel” Ned joked.

“Argh, don’t even mention his name. After what he has done to my sister. After what he caused us. He almost got us all killed.”

“Is your uncle moving with her?”

“For now.”

“He’ll take good care of her. She’ll be fine.”

“I asked him not to tell my father and he agreed. I’m not sure his heart can take it.”

“Like we said. Keep it secret to save his life”

“So we are just keeping all these secrets now. Secrets upon secrets. We know some of the truth, the King knows some of the truth. The Queen and her family know other things. My sister knows her things too. And there are a lot of things no one knows. But nobody does anything” Catelyn said somewhat frustrated.

“If we come forward, there will be war and I’m not sure how much support we’ll get. If the Lannisters come forward, there will be war and we have documents to back us up which the Lannisters won’t be able to refute. It is in everybody’s best interest to just let it go.”

“That doesn’t sound like you” she said caressing his cheek. “That sounds like Robert. Have you traded places and am I going to lie with the King tonight?” she teased him.

“Ha! No. But yes, it was Robert who convinced me. For our sake and the sake of our people.”

“You apologized and Jon and I will apologize. But no-one will apologize for what they did to Bran. We all keep quiet and nobody pays for their crimes” she finished not entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. The people who had hurt her son would not be held accountable for what they had done.

“But we all live, my love” he said kissing her lips. “We all live.”

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, no war then ... yes, all the crimes go unpunished, but at the same time, nobody sufferes unnecessarily... Good Robert saw to that ...
> 
> Would he have been so calm and collected if he had learned the truth in canon? Difficult to say. He was rather impetuous. He did relish the death of the young Targaryen babies and he did order for Daenerys to be killed. But at the same time, he did it so his realm would be secure. Here, he knows that both Ned and Cersei (and their respective families) pose a threat to his kingdom. Killing a girl nobody cared about who lived in a continent thousands of miles away is one thing. But killing Starks, Wardens of the North, and Lannisters, Wardens of the West, will surely have much more serious consquences. He needed to stop them all from acting out on their impulses and self-righteous sense of justice and honor, which would only lead to war. In this scenario, the best course of action to make sure his kingdom is secure is to keep everything secret and make sure none of the parties act on the information they have. Short of killing everyone (Cersei and her brothers, the children he considered his up until a short while ago, his friend Ned and his whole family) and plunge the realm into a bloody civil war, making sure they all stay quiet is perhaps the safest course of action ... or not ... But for now, it will work.
> 
> So, they all lie, they plot and obfuscate ... but in the end, they all live.
> 
> Still, the main point of this story was not so much to delve into the War of the Five Kings. Many stories tell that side of the plot, I have written quite a few about it myself (some with the Stark winning, some with them losing, some somewhere in between and some in which the war is averted altogether). My main focus was actually *Catelyn and Jon.* The idea here was to show both Jon and Cat (and Ned as well) a little bit more of the bigger picture they were unable to see in canon. And I tried to have a small scene or bit about both in every chaper. In each chapter, both Jon and Cat get to feel something about what's going on and about the other one.
> 
> In the first chapters I had both Jon and Cat complain about "He/She hates me. I hate him/her" and Robb basically saying "Grow up and get over it. It's not nearly as serious as you think and I need for the both of you to work together".
> 
> At the beginnig of their journey, I had both of them realize they needed each other but not wanting to admit it. For instance, they should have slept side by side and shared body heat when they were traveling in the North and it got cold at night. But neither was willing to show weakness.
> 
> In Kings Landing they were both wary and distrustful of each other (Jon thought she wanted to have him killed. Cat thought he had betrayed her and told the authorities about them), only to have those suspicions proved completely off base.
> 
> When they were attacked, they both tried to help each other and worried about one another.
> 
> At the Vale they both had a dose of reality thrown at them. Mya tells Jon about real bastards, and Cat gets to see how guilty Jon feels about being a bastard and a "burden" on the family.
> 
> But towards the end, they both become more aware of how far they have come.
> 
> To be fair, I don't blame either of them for feeling the way they did in canon. It makes perfect sense that Catelyn would msitrust Jon (when we all know he is a very decent guy who would never do what she feared) and it makes sense that Jon would feel shunned (when we all know he never was). They didn't need to love each other dearly, they just needed to coexist together in a civil way - which they did. It is a testament to the kind of people they were that they never acted upon their perceived slights and still managed to behave properly towards one another.
> 
> Do I wish they had had another kind of relationship? Of course. But it's easy to judge in hindsight and from an outsider's point of view. They can't question what they have no reason to doubt. So now, in this story, I wanted to give them reasons enough to question their own assumptions and hopefully see things from another perspective...
> 
> I hope you liked it.
> 
> Thanks!


End file.
